TAXILA: Tandoor vendors in Taxila and Wah continue to sell naan for Rs25, defying the government’s writ because the local authority has not implemented the revised price lists to alleviate the public’s suffering.
A standard size naan weighing 120 grams was priced at Rs20 by the province government, and assistant commissioners and price control judges were assigned to oversee the implementation of the new costs. However, it has been noted that the Naanbai Association continues to sell naan at higher prices rather than following the stipulated lower prices.
It was also noted that the announcement did not result in a fall in the price of bread, since roti is still sold for Rs20 and the notification that naan should be sold for Rs20 has not been put into effect.
Muslim Colony resident Zohaib Salman bemoaned the tandoors’ continued sale of roti at Rs20 and naan at Rs25, when there had been no price reduction.
Locals claim that even with the district administration’s updated price list, tandoor proprietors are still charging Rs25 for naan.
According to Mushtaq Turk, a resident of Banni Mohallah, tandoors and nanbais were selling naan for Rs25, despite the Punjab government’s proclamation and the district administration’s new pricing list.
Prof. Waqas Khan, a former member of the Punjab Assembly, claimed that Tandoor and Naanbai had defied the government’s directive by sticking to their own set of prices. According to him, no nanbai had shown the official price list in Taxila or Wah, and local government representatives were merely observing the event as a bystander.
Vice President of the Nanbai Association, Mohammad Qadeem, stated that the government did not provide any gas or energy subsidies to Nanbais who used liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). Therefore, lowering the pricing was not an option.
“First and foremost, there ought to have been an announcement regarding the decrease in flour and LPG costs for the tandoors,” he continued. If they received a subsidy, he continued, they would sell roti at the government rate.
Assistant Commissioner Salman Akbar Warraich promised tough measures against individuals who broke the price restrictions when he was contacted. In response to a query, he stated that 15 tandoors and nanbais who had violated the official pricing list had been fined Rs95,000 as part of a crackdown against them. According to him, three naanbais were imprisoned after complaints about their continuous price list violations were filed. According to him, pricing magistrates have been given particular duties to make sure the new roti and naan prices are followed.
