Price control police stations still a dream
Despite the enactment of the Price Control Act 2024, the Rawalpindi district administration has yet to establish any of the mandated police stations in the district's seven tehsils, citing a severe shortage of funds.
These police stations, which were expected to be operational by November, remain on hold as the year draws to a close.
Under the new act, police stations were to be rented in buildings with four to five rooms, accommodating one Station House Officer (SHO), 12 policemen, a vehicle, and two motorcycles.
The rooms were to serve as offices, an arms store, a temporary jail, and a waiting area. However, high rental costs have prompted the administration to seek financial support from the Punjab government, delaying implementation.
The Price Control Act 2024 empowers authorities to penalise shopkeepers selling essential items at inflated prices.
Penalties include shop sealing, arrests, imprisonment ranging from 3 to 30 days, and fines between Rs25,000 and Rs100,000.
Additionally, detained shopkeepers are responsible for covering transportation and food expenses. Without operational police stations, these measures remain unenforced.
President of the Grocery Merchants Association (GMA), Saleem Pervez Butt, has strongly opposed the establishment of price control police stations. "We do not accept these police stations," Butt declared, warning of widespread protests if any shopkeeper is arrested under the act. He emphasised that these protests would not remain confined to Rawalpindi but would spread across Punjab.
In response, the district administration has announced plans to roll out police stations in phases between January and March 2025, starting with Rawalpindi Tehsil City.
Until then, enforcement of the Price Control Act remains stalled, leaving price control operations and penalties in limbo.
The price control initiative, while aimed at stabilising market prices, has thus far faced intense backlash from Rawalpindi's trading community, who see the enforcement as both costly and politically motivated.
How the government will balance its push for price regulation with the demands of the business community remains to be seen as the new price control stations become operational.
The new department has not been able to recruit personnel for price control police stations, the premises for which have also not been finalised. As per plans, each price control police station will consist of 20 uniformed personnel, headed by an in-charge, a police inspector. There will be two official vehicles and three motorcycles for each station.
Sources claim the recruitment of the new force for price control police stations has been started, and the process will soon be completed, after which the new recruits will undergo police-style training for 30 days, including protocols for the arrest of shopkeepers. Each price control police station will consist of four to five rooms.
As per the plan, houses will be acquired on rent for the police stations. A large room will be the jail custody, while other rooms will include a waiting room, a weapons room, a record room, and an SHO office.