SHC seeks reply from city commissioner on milk price

Retailers are selling milk for Rs140 per kg when official rate is Rs94 per kg, counsel tells court

KARACHI:

The Sindh High Court sought on Wednesday a reply from the Karachi commissioner over the increase in the price of milk.

A two-member bench, comprising Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar and Justice Amjad Ali Sahito, sought the reply after the counsel for the petitioner informed the court that the official price of milk had been increased from Rs80 per kilogramme to Rs94 per kilogramme, but the retailers had been selling the commodity for Rs140 per kilogramme.

"Why aren't retailers following the official price list and what measures have been taken to ensure compliance with the official price list?" the court inquired.

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Justice Sahito further rebuked the members of the All Karachi Milk Retailers Welfare Association, stating that there had been complaints of milk being adulterated with rice water and it being sold at an inflated rate.

"How can retailers increase the price of milk at will?" remarked Justice Mazhar.

At that, the focal person for the association contended that following the official price list was impossible for milk retailers, and claimed that the Karachi commissioner had not fixed the price of milk for the last three years.

"But this does not justify you increasing the price at will," the court observed. "You never follow the rates fixed by the Karachi commissioner."

The focal person, however, insisted that the court barred the commissioner from carrying out raids against milk retailers, and directed him to fix a reasonable price for milk.

Following that, the court inquired about the Sindh Food Authority's (SFA's) role in the matter.

The authority's official told the court that they would carry out raids against milk retailers charging higher price from customers immediately after the court would issue directives for the same.

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"Why do you want the court to issue the directives? Can't you start carrying out raids on your own?" the court questioned.

At that, an SFA official informed the court that the authority had already taken action against 180 retailers.

The counsel for the petitioner, however, contended that there must be 100,000 dairy shops in Karachi, and the authority had taken action against just 180 retailers.

"It seems that assistant commissioner are no longer checking the quality of milk," the court observed, and sought a reply from the Karachi commissioner on the plea.

The court adjourned the hearing until May 27.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 29^th, 2021.