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Good governance in Punjab a myth?
By Mansoor Ahmad
LAHORE
The good governance in Punjab is nothing more than a myth as some problems facing common man, like overcharging on edibles and parking, remain unresolved.
There seems to be no check on the rates of essential kitchen items in market. The rates of branded tea, toothpaste and shampoos have witnessed an increase of 2-3 per cent in one month. Rates of sugar are also on constant rise, although the commodity marketed by the sugar mills at 40 per cent lower rates when the crushing season of sugarcane was over in February this year. Flourmills increase flour rates on their own without the consent of the Punjab Food Department.
In most of the markets of Lahore, soft drinks are openly sold at 20 per cent higher price than the rate printed on the label of the product. The snacks like potato chips etc are also sold at a premium of Rs2-3 per pack. These retailers have no fear of the district or provincial administration. They charge their own rates as the regulators do not confront them for the obvious reasons.
Overcharging is also rampant at recreation spots like parks and picnic spots. The chief minister might have made the entry into the parks free of charge but not all parks in the city are exempted from the fee. The Lahore Wild Life Park, for instance, charges Rs20 per adult and Rs10 per minor as entry fee. Moreover, it charges Rs100 per car and up to Rs450 for bigger vehicles as entry fee in addition the charges of the occupant.
The charges of the Lahore Wild Life Park have been doubled are after the Punjab CM abolished parks entry fee. It is argued that the park generates its own funds and is run without the government funds.
There is a shortage of parking lot in the main markets and shopping and commercial centers of the city. The parking fee varies from one market to the other. At the Liberty market, parking fee is charged according to duration of parking. At some other places, parking fee varies from Rs10 to Rs20 for a car, and form Rs5 to Rs10 for a motorcycle.
At some places the government has fixed boards showing parking rates of Rs10 for a car and Rs5 for a motorcycle. But even at those places the vehicles and motorcycles parked at some distance from the board of fee are charged Rs20 and Rs 10 respectively.
The overcharging might look like a minor issue to some regulators but the accumulative impact of over-charging on edibles and parking runs into billions of rupees a month.
The News: Saturday, July 11, 2009
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