Overcharging: Rising prices irk consumers

Bread bakers in Attock city and surrounding areas increased the price of various types of bread by Re1 or Rs2.

ATTOCK: Bread bakers in Attock city and the surrounding areas have unilaterally increased the price of various types of bread by Re1 or Rs2, while the district administration has not bothered to take notice of the price hike.

Locals told The Express Tribune that bread bakers (nanbai) increase the rates illegally.

They said that the public is already facing great hardships in running their homes due to rising gas and electricity bills, and an increase in the price of a staple food item such as bread is making things worse.

They said that the provincial government’s Sasti Roti Scheme is already dead, and lamented that size and weight of an average roti has also decreased.

On the other hand, bakers said that they cannot provide bread at the fixed rates because the rate of flour has increased.

They also said that the wheat quota for the Sasti Roti Scheme was not provided by the administration, so they are unable to provide subsidised bread to the public.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 23^rd, 2013.