Islamabad, Nov 1 (SocialNews.XYZ) Low- and middle-income households in Pakistan's Rawalpindi have started using firewood and coal for cooking due to a surge in liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) prices and gas supplies being available for only six hours a day.
Low- and middle-income families, roadside eateries, and small tandoors have started using firewood, coal and kerosene oil as fuels, resulting in an increase in the prices of firewood and coal with the onset of winter.
The coal is being sold at Pakistani Rupees (PKR) 800 to PKR 1,000 per maund while the dry firewood is being sold at PKR 1,500 to PKR 1,800 per maund. The price of sawdust has also increased to PKR 700 per maund, Pakistani daily The Express Tribune reported.
The supply of gas is available at three daily intervals of two hours each, while uninterrupted outages occur regularly from 9 pm to dawn, resulting in traders, shopkeepers and affluent families using gas cylinders. The growing demand for gas cylinders has further increased the prices of cylinders.
The price of a new cylinder has risen from PKR 10,000 to PKR 13,500, while used cylinders have surged from PKR 8,000 to PKR 10,000. Refilling of domestic cylinders has increased from PKR 3,000 to 5,000, while commercial gas cylinder refilling has risen from PKR 14,000 to PKR 25,000.
Meanwhile, residents have voiced concern over the continuous surge in food prices and the district administration's inability to implement official rates in Faisalabad city of Pakistan's Punjab province, saying essential commodities have become increasingly unaffordable for low-income households, local media reported on Friday.
People have said that price-control magistrates and the Punjab Enforcement and Regulatory Authority (PERA) Force have failed to stop profiteering and alleged artificial increases in prices despite government claims that it has taken measures to provide relief to the people, The Express Tribune reported.
Muhammad Ali, a resident, said the increasing price of essential commodities has made it increasingly difficult for ordinary families to buy two meals a day. He said that wheat is being sold in the market for Pakistani Rupees (PKR) 5,400 to PKR 5,600 per maund, in comparison to the official rate of PKR 3,800 per maund.
Zakia Khanum, another resident, said that continuous inflation and unemployment were increasing difficulties for households. She said that the administration and PERA department in Faisalabad division have failed to curb prices effectively, The Express Tribune reported.
Another resident said that prices of vegetables like tomatoes, onions, and ginger have surged sharply. People have said that mutton, chicken, eggs, milk, fruits and vegetables are being sold at rates determined by individual shopkeepers despite the official price list.
Source: IANS
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