Traders reject price list for essential goods

Threaten to observe shutter-down strike across district over imposition of fines

RAWALPINDI:

Fixing the new and reduced official rates for various essential items for the entire Rawalpindi district, the district administration has issued strict directives to all the price control magistrates and assistant commissioners for their immediate implementation.

According to a notification issued by Rawalpindi Deputy Commissioner Hasan Waqar Cheema, the new prices will be effective immediately across the district and violators will face registration of cases, arrests and imposition of heavy fines.

On the other hand, the milkmen, nanbais and butchers have rejected the directives to sell milk, roti and meat at new rates and instead vowed to continue selling the essential goods at old and inflated prices.

As per the notification, the price for white chickpeas has been fixed at Rs350, black chickpeas at Rs220, gram flour at Rs225, basmati rice at Rs340, milk at Rs170, yoghurt at Rs180 per kilogramme and the prices of roti at Rs20, mutton at Rs1,500 and beef at Rs750 per kg.

The price magistrates have also issued instructions to ensure the implementation of the new prices.

Meanwhile, taking a jibe at the notification, Chaudhary Khurram, vice-president of the Rawalpindi Gawala Union, said: “The new milk prices have been set while sitting in an air-conditioned room.”

“Today, the price of a buffalo has reached Rs0.4 million. The price of fodder straw has increased by 500 per cent, so milk will continue to be sold at Rs200 and yoghurt at Rs220 per kg,” he said.

Shafiq Qureshi, president of the Pakistan Naan Bai Association, said the rates of regular and fine flours have again increased by Rs500 to Rs950 in the open market. “The price of roti is not being decreased but there will be a further increase in the prices,” he said, adding that the naan will be sold at Rs35 and paratha at Rs60.

Similarly, Fawad Qureshi, secretary general of the Butchers Union, alleged that the cattle heads were being smuggled to Afghanistan.

“The deputy commissioner should first check the price of mutton and beef in the market,” he said, vowing to sell mutton at Rs2,100 and beef at Rs1,100 per kg. He added that at present the live chicken was being sold at Rs470 and chicken meat at Rs680 per kg.

Afzal Khan, vice-president of the Grocers Union, said that the prices of pulses, rice and white gram were already low.

“If the DC ensures supply of flour, pulses and sugar to us at cheap price and fixes our profit of Rs5 to Rs10 per kg, we are more than willing to sell everything at the set prices,” he said.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, June 18^th, 2023.