No increase in edible prices: MD USC
By Muhammad Ali Malik

ISLAMABAD—The Utility Stores Corporation (USC) on Saturday contradicted a news item published in a section of press that the Corporation has increased the prices of its inventories. “We have not increased price of any item. We had announced a relief package for the holy month of Ramadan by further reducing the prices of certain edibles. After Ramadan we have brought these prices back to the previous level,” Managing Director USC Brig (r) Hafeez Ahmed told APP.
He said in view of the role being played by the USC in salesand distribution of essential items at the reduced rates, the Federal Government in the budget 2007-08 directed the organization to expand its network. Hafeez Ahmed said that under the government’s directives the USC had so far opened 3,000 outlets under a phased programme. “The total number of utility outlets has jumped to 4,000,” he said.
He said the Corporation would open 2,000 more stores by theend of this month and the total number of utility outlets across the country would reach to 6,000. “The stores are being opened in urban as well as in ruralareas and soon each union council of the country will have a utility store,” the Managing Director said.
He said the expansion of utility stores network had providedan opportunity to the corporation as well as to manufactures and vendors to expand their business. To a query that some USC franchise stores were selling products at high rates, he said the Corporation took prompt action against the owners of such stores by cancelling their lincences.
“We have cancelled lincences of 45 franchise stores in different parts of the country and opened our own regular stores at their place,” he said. Besides, the Corporation has terminated the services of 15 of its employees on the charges of overcharging and misbehaving with customers, he added. He said special USC teams pay surprise visits to utility stores to ensure that people get quality edibles and other items at affordable rates. He said he himself had also paid surprise visits to different stores in the country.