In Rawalpindi, grocers & DC reach agreement on setting prices

Association calls off shutter-down strike call

RAWALPINDI: Grocery sellers, locally known as karyana merchants, have called off their strike call after an agreement with the district administration that the government will set prices of staple food itmes like flour, rice, pulses sugar and cooking oil in consultaion with agriculture department and market representatives.

The representatives of karyana associations of Rawalpindi city and the two cantonment areas including Pervaiz Butt, Haji Abdul Hameed, Azizur Rehman, secretaries, and presidents of all big markets in the city held a meeting with Deputy Commissioner Saifullah Dogar on Tuesday.

After reaching an agreement on the prices, the association has called off the shutter-down strike call.

According to the agreement, the Punjab government would set the final prices of different varieties of lentils with mutual consultation of the agriculture department and central karyana merchants association in the current week.

DC Dogar has allowed increasing profit margin by Rs2 on a 20-kilogramme (kg) flour sack and sugar per kg after which the 20kg flour sack would be available for Rs810 or Rs40.5 per kg, while the sugar would be sold for Rs72 per kg.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 20^th, 2019.