Clash over sale of substandard food items: Gulshan-e-Ravi Sunday Bazaar closed for shoppers

LAHORE - Following a record surge in the oil prices, the rates of vegetables and fruit shot up in Sunday Bazaars as compared to the last week due to what the market sources said increase in the transportation cost.

The incidents of scuffle also took place in some Sunday Bazaars over the selling of substandard food items on high rates, as the city district government badly failed to control the prices of vegetables and fruit.

In Gulshan-e-Ravi Sunday Bazaar, severe clash took place between two groups. The TMO concerned reached the spot and ordered the closure of Sunday Bazaars, multiplying the problems of the shoppers who reached there to buy food items on cheap rates.

The vendors were witnessed selling substandard vegetables on high prices while tomato was not available in most of the Sunday bazaars. Chicken was sold at Rs 123 to Rs 125 in the Sunday Bazaars while in the open market it was being sold at Rs 120, thanks to the poor control of the authorities concerned.

However, there was great rush witnessed in all the Sunday bazaar as the salaried class rushed to these bazaars to buy essential commodities and other food items in the first week of the new month. The flour bags were sold like hot cakes in the Sunday bazaars, following confusion over the rates of flour. The shoppers, expecting further increase in the flour prices, were buying more flour bags than their one months needs as the 20-kg flour bag was available at Rs 365 in these bazaars.