Citizens should wait for special trucks to buy sugar

November 23, 2009

By Irfan Aligi

KARACHI: The sugar crisis in city has worsened and announcements to mesmerize the citizens with enforcement of measures for availability of sugar at Rs 40 per kg have become non-appealing.
Unfortunately, neither the City District Government Karachi (CDGK) nor the Sindh government has adopted a radical mechanism for the resolution of the crisis. In fact, the sugar was not under the controlling domain of the CDGK but it could not be exempted for other measures such as monitoring of sale of sugar at higher rates and hording of the stocks.
Although, the City Nazim has been very clear on the issue as he has been vigilant on the scam particularly sale of sugar by the retailers within the precincts of the CDGK but there have been various anomalies that had prevented the CDGK to avail the fruitful results.
It had been a few days ago claimed that the citizens would be buying sugar at Rs 40 per kg from last Friday. The Wholesalers Association’s Chairman Anees Majeed had told Daily Times that plenty of sugar, say 1250 tons had been sent to the city on Friday night, which would be open for sale.
The District Coordination Officer Karachi Javed Hanif Khan had also told daily Times that the citizens would not suffer for sugar after Friday but the retailers have still, as on Monday, were selling sugar at Rs 62 per kg.
Meanwhile, the authorities on Saturday and Monday had arranged for sale of sugar from special trucks with sugar packed in 2-kg bags at Rs 40 per kg. The sale of sugar in that typical manner was enough to degrade and insult the citizens. People that have been starving out for sugar were ordered to form long queues but less than the half of them could succeed in buying a 2-kg pack.One retailer in grocery market in North Nazimabad’s Block M refused this scribe for sugar at Rs 40 and said that those who wanted to buy sugar at Rs 40 per kg should wait for the truck at that corner of the market. Those that wanted sugar from his shop should pay the price of Rs 62 per kg. This scribe paid the price and got the reward of sugar.