SWABI: Despite the district administration’s claim of keeping prices under check, rates of almost every eatable have gone up in the Swabi bazaars with the advent of Ramazan.

The officially-fixed rate of beef is Rs350 per kilogramme, but the butchers are charging from Rs480 to Rs500 per kg, a flagrant violation of the price list.

The butchers insisted that they had to increase the rate of beef as prices of cattle had gone up manifold.

The consumers said butchers earlier were charging Rs400 instead of Rs350 per one kilogramme of beef, but they jacked up the rate to Rs480 to Rs500 per kg since the start of Ramazan.

Ahmad Ali of Topi told Dawn: “I just paid Rs500 to buy one kilogramme of beef.”

Mohammad Iqbal of Maneri village said the district administration had failed to implement the official price list in the bazaars.

When contacted, an official of the district administration told Dawn that it was observed that when officials made surprise raids the butchers displayed the officially-issued price list, but once the teams went away they started overcharging the consumers.

Meanwhile, chicken is being sold at Rs200 per kilogramme instead of Rs180.

Similarly, the guava rate has also jumped from Rs100 per kg to Rs140, apple from Rs160 to Rs250 to Rs300 per kg.

Lemon is being sold at Rs400 per kg instead of Rs160, melon at Rs100 instead of Rs60, banana Rs200 per dozen instead of Rs160 per dozen. The rates of vegetables have also been increased, with consumers urging the district administration to implement the price list in letter and spirit.

The administration officials claimed that they had devised a price checking mechanism for Ramazan.

In a separate development, a man was killed by his brother-in-law over a property dispute in Razaar tehsil on Friday, the police said. The incident occurred in Bachai village.

Kalu Khan police officials said Mohammad Ali allegedly opened fire on Ayaz Khan, killing him on the spot. A brother of the deceased got registered an FIR against the suspected killer.

Published in Dawn, April 17th, 2021