RAWALPINDI: The district administration on Saturday issued new a price list for edibles, increasing the prices of pulses, milk, curd, mutton, beef, and rice but failed to control overcharging in all markets and bazaars of the garrison city. The rates were fixed in consultation with trader associations at the Deputy Commissioner’s office.

According to the revised list, the price of milk has increased to Rs165 per litre as compared to the previous rate of Rs150 per litre while the price of yogurt is fixed at Rs170 compared to Rs160 in the previous list. However, in the open market, milk is available at Rs200 per litre, and yogurt at Rs200 per kg.

The mutton price surged to Rs1500 per kg and beef at Rs750 per kg while in the previous list, it was fixed at Rs1400 per kg and Rs700 per kg respectively. But, all the butchers in the city and cantonment areas are selling mutton at Rs1800 per kg and beef at Rs900 per kg. Roti in the market is available at Rs20 and Naan at Rs25 but as per the administration, the price for Roti is Rs15 and Rs20 for Naan.

Rawalpindi Merchant Association President Saleem Pervaiz Butt told Dawn that the traders had reservations about the new price list as it did not reflect “the ground reality”.

“We asked the government to increase the price of pulses as they are available in the wholesale market above Rs400 per kg, but the district administration fixed the price at Rs285 to Rs365 per kg,” he said.

“The pulses and edibles in the open market are expensive but the district administration made an unrealistic list. All the pulses are imported from abroad and after the dollar rate against the rupee shot up and we have to buy pulses at higher prices,” he said. The association president, however, added that the government has allowed shopkeepers to sell ‘good quality’ pulses at higher rates.

On the other hand, a senior official of the district administration said that the provincial government has asked to establish ‘Sasta Bazaars’ in the district and the administration was planning to start the initiative before Ramazan.

He said that the price magistrates would be active to control the prices and added that during the caretaker setup, the price magistrates were reluctant to impose fines on shopkeepers because of traders’ purported affiliation with political parties.

He said it was the duty of the magistrates to ensure the implementation of the official price list in the market as fines alone could not solve this problem. He added that during field visits, the price magistrates would ensure that the shopkeepers should display official price lists prominently.

Published in Dawn, February 19th, 2023