Govt. should tame rising price hike to facilitate masses: Altaf Shakoor

KARACHI, March 23 (SABAH): Government should check the rising price hike urgently to facilitate masses in the holy month of Ramadan, said Pasban Democratic Party (PDP) Chairman Altaf Shakoor on Sunday.

Altaf Shakoor said prices of all daily use commodities including sugar are rising constantly but the government is not taking any action against them. He said that poor people are suffering a lot due to inaction by the government. He said recently the parliament members have increased their salaries and perks. However, the government says that it has no budget to increase salaries and pensions of government servants. He said the rulers should cut their royal expenses and give some breathing space to the poor masses.

Altaf Shakoor said the government is bent on closing Utility Stores as it doesn’t want poor people to get kitchen commodities on subsidized rates. However, the government gives lavish subsidies to private companies that make electricity, urea and other products. He said the rulers only talk about the problems of people at the time of elections and then forget them for the whole next term.

Altaf Shakoor asked that all basic kitchen cheaper rates should be provided to poor and low income people on ration cards at cheaper rates. He said that the old ration card system should be reintroduced. He said that Utility Stores should not be closed but made further functional to facilitate the poor masses. He said the government should adopt a welfare-based approach and take action against price hike and hoarding mafias including the powerful sugar miller mafia.

He said that it is high time that the poor people get some relief now in the holy month of Ramadan. He asked the federal and provincial governments to devise mechanisms to check price hike, stabilise rates of kitchen commodities and tame powerful mafias that are looting people with both hands