Sunday bazaars fail to provide relief to masses - The Nation, Pakistan

LAHORE – The rates of edibles, including vegetables and fruits, being sold in Sunday bazaars are almost the same as in the open market. This puts a big question mark on the performance of the government, which had set up these makeshift markets with a view to providing relief to the public. A visit to the Sunday bazaar revealed that the prices of most fruits and vegetables were the same as in the open market; and even if some items were cheaper, their quality was questionable. Though a few products were available in Sunday bazaars at cheaper rates than in the open market, the majority of commodities were actually being sold at higher prices there.
The prices of lady finger, bitter gourd, potato, tomato, cucumber, cauliflower and onion were almost the same in both Sunday bazaars and the open market. Similarly, tomatoes were available for Rs 20-25 per kilogram in both Sunday bazaars and the open market.
Onions were sold for Rs 20 per kilogram in Sunday bazaars while their price was Rs 20-25 per kilogram in the open market. The price of peaches in the open market was Rs 50 per kilogram, while they were not available in Sunday bazaars. Bitter gourds were sold for Rs 25-30 per kilogram in Sunday bazaars, while their maximum price in the open market was Rs 35 per kilogram. The price of lady fingers in Sunday bazaars was Rs 38 per kilogram, while their price in the open market ranged between Rs35 and Rs 45 per kilogram.
However, some products such as ginger and garlic were available at lower prices in Sunday bazaars as compared with the open market. It was also observed that the vendors did not allow the buyers to sort out and pick fruits and vegetables of their choice. Customers at the Wahdat Road Sunday Bazaar said that there was no difference between rates of the open market and government-established Sunday bazaars. They said that the government only wasted its energies and resources in establishing Sunday bazaars. “The Punjab government always invests in useless ventures.
There is no need for such bazaars where the prices are the same as in the open market.
The provincial government also tried to fool the masses by claiming to provide relief through Ramadan bazaars,” they alleged. Meanwhile, the price of garlic (China) was fixed at Rs 50-60 per kilogram and that of garlic (Desi) Rs 85-95 per kilogram. The price of spinach reduced by Rs 2-3 per kilogram and was fixed at Rs 12 per kilogram, but it was not available in Sunday bazaars.
But, outside these markets, the same was available at Rs 15 per kilogram.
The price of brinjals increased by Rs 1-2 per kilogram and was fixed at Rs 15 per kilogram. The price of okra increased by Rs 2-5 per kilogram and was fixed at Rs 20-30 per kilogram, but it was not available. The price of cabbages was fixed at Rs20 per kilogram.

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