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'Consumers to be given representation in price committees'

ISLAMABAD: The consumers, particularly house-wives will be given representation in the prices committees at district levels to check price hike and adulteration.

This was stated by the Labour Minister Umar Asghar Khan, while talking to the representatives of NGOs, who called on him on Friday.

The minister assured that the government would effectively control the prices with the cooperation of the people. The representatives of welfare organisations and NGO's would also be included in price committees, which will check the adulteration in food items to ensure the provision of quality products.

The minister believed that the representation of the women and consumers in the price committees at the district levels could help to achieve the desired results.

He lauded the efforts of "Kirn" and "Aimes"-2, NGO's for the solution of environmental, social and economical problems.

While underling the importance of consumers' role in determining the prices' structure, a senior citizen Mohammad Fareed appreciated the proposal and said the consumers must be involved to check profiteering and adulteration.

The "consumers pressure is the only answer to stabilise and control prices, a house-wife Mubeena Jabeen said. Lets start a campaign to boycott those shops and business centres who sell goods on exorbitant prices," she suggested.

Another woman Fatima Hayat was of the view that people could reject expensive and low-quality goods as a protest and prefer to buy alternate items which might force the shopkeepers to reduce their prices.

Another consumer Mohammad Aslam said the consumers were a big force to stabilise prices and could set the trend of prices, by avoiding un-necessary shopping.

In various countries, it is standing practice to streamline prices by resorting to social pressure against profiteering and hoarding. The people should resist inflationary trend and go by the economic law to match the demand with the supply in order to maintain the prices at reasonable levels.

There should be consumers societies which can work to achieve the objective, but the people at large have the common and collective responsibility to keep an eye on the prevailing prices in the market.

They should come forward to identify the shops, involved in profiteering and boycott these and expose them.

The job cannot be left to the government only, rather the people have to contribute equally to set the things in the right direction.

The local administration should take measures at their level to book black-marketeers and punish them, but it will hardly serve the purpose, and may prove a superficial arrangement, ultimately with no result, if the consumers pressure is not there.

There are also general complaint that some sub-standard items are sold in the open market. Besides these measures, which the government takes to control, it is also the responsibility of the consumers to protest and reject the high prices, by patronising those shopkeepers who otherwise maintain the prices at reasonable level and come out with good quality.

It was observed that the profit-makers, do not even hesitate in minting money during Ramazan. They go to the extent of creating artificial shortage to take full advantage of increasing needs of the people. APP