RAWALPINDI: The divisional administration has made some bold assertions, but it appears that the price increases for consumables in Ramazan are continuing.
On Thursday, potatoes were selling for Rs70 per kg against Rs45 per kg, tomatoes were available for Rs200 per kg against the official rate of Rs145 per kg, while onions were selling for Rs300 per kg in the garrison city despite the official price of Rs236 per kg. In the same way, ginger was available for Rs530 per kg and garlic for Rs 600 per kg.
Mutton was being sold for Rs 2000 per kg, beef for Rs 1100 per kg, and chicken for Rs 410 per kg. Curd is being sold at Rs220 per kg and milk for Rs 210 per kg.
Conversely, merchants asserted that they were making a tiny profit on the items they were selling, having obtained them from the wholesale market at higher prices. They stated that the higher pricing were the fault of the wholesalers.
Retailers claim that wholesalers are charging them more for culinary goods.
However, the customers rejected the tales told by the store owners and the government, claiming that the salaried class was the group most negatively impacted since while business owners and laborers saw increases in earnings and wages, the salaried class did not receive a raise in pay.
Arya Mohallah resident Muhammad Nasir bemoaned the fact that they could no longer afford to buy veggies and that meat was already beyond their means.
Mohanpura resident Sheikh Arshad claimed the administration had ignored this widespread problem. He claimed that the rising cost of utilities due to inflation had already broken the back of the average guy financially.
“As butchers raised their prices prior to Ramadan, the price of meat will continue to rise in the coming days,” he stated.
However, Dawn was informed by Deputy Commissioner Dr. Hassan Waqar Cheema that the garrison city had two major bazaars set up.
“At Chur Chowk, one is sponsored by the government, and at Shamsabad Park, wholesalers have set up stalls at the initiative of the district administration,” he stated.
He claimed that while roughly 3,000 people came to the bazaar on its opening day, today’s average attendance was closer to 5,000. In the wholesale Ramazan bazaar, he claimed, carts had also been assigned to traders who had adequate room. In the bazaar, essential supplies are offered at a 25% discount.
He restated that underperforming price magistrates would not receive any more show-cause notices and would be suspended at the following review meeting.
According to the DC, there are fifty price magistrates throughout the district, and those who violate the law face fines. According to him, the district government has been arresting profiteers for the past two weeks and fining them Rs 3.3 million as part of an ongoing campaign against them.
From March 1 to March 14, the price magistrates carried out 29,658 raids, and 1,697 store owners were found guilty of profiteering and failing to post rate lists.
While visiting the Nawaz Sharif Park bazaar, the commissioner Rawalpindi noticed a consumer complaint regarding the selling of tomatoes at a higher price and looked into the issue further. The distributor was removed with a punishment of Rs. 50,000 when the commissioner discovered that he had been overcharging.
Inquiring about the amenities from the guests, he also examined the costs and quality of necessary things at the bazaar.
