RAWALPINDI - Red meat is becoming dearer for common man as butchers are violating official price list and selling it at their own sweet will.
According to official price list issued by City District Government Rawalpindi (CDGR), beef price is fixed at Rs 260 per kg and mutton at Rs 460 per kg.
However, beef is being sold by the butchers in all the city’s markets from Rs 350 to 370 while mutton at Rs 550 to 650 per kilogram, thus making the open mockery of official price list. In posh areas like Chaklala, mutton is being sold at Rs 650 per kilogram.
It was also observed during a survey conducted by TheNation on Monday that most of the butchers in Potohar Division and Rawal Division and even in garrison limits have not displayed the price lists on some visible place.
The areas where butchers are violating official price lists including Saddar, Scheme III, Chaklala, Airport Road, Lalkurti, Chakri Road, Chungi Number 22, Adyala Road, Morgah, Humak, Jhanda Cheechi, Tipu Road, Raja Bazaar, City Saddar Road, Dheri Hassanabad, Bakra Mandi, Baraf Khana Chowk, Girja Road, Peshawar Road and many other areas.
The residents of the city have been facing problems to get red meat at higher prices due to indifference attitude of government officials and department concerned to control the prices of the edibles. The consumers also leashed out at the authorities concerned, that included District Coordination Officer (DCO), Secretary Market Committee and the brigade of Special Price Magistrates, for closing their eyes towards what they (consumers) termed “a looting campaign” launched by the butchers.
At Chungi Number 22, Munaza Begum, wife of a retired army officer, was quarreling with a butcher over charging Rs 825 for 1.5 kg mutton, she bought. According to her, government fixed Rs 460 price for 1 kg mutton but the butchers was selling at high rate.
“No body is in the government to hold the hands of the looters, who are empting, the pockets of poor people by selling meat and mutton on high prices” said Alam Khan, a laborer, standing on a shop at Saddar. He said that his brother arrived from Karachi and he wanted to invite him on dinner.
“As you know it is our norm and tradition to provide best quality food to our guests. But I changed my mind after seeing the price list of meat” he said. On the list, Rs 260 is mentioned for the meat but the commodity was being sold at Rs 370 per kg, he added.
As the DCO Saqib Zafar and his brigade of SPMs seems to be helpless, butchers blamed exporters for creating shortage of animals in the country and in the markets. The butchers attributed severe shortage of goats and cattle to their exports, and claimed that the exporters were not only buying meat in huge quantities but they jacked up prices as well.
“The exporters increase the markets rates,” said Umair Qureshi, a local office bearer of Butchers Association said adding, “If the exports are banned we will be able to sell mutton at Rs 460 per kg and meat at Rs 260 per kg.”
DCO Saqib Zafar did not receive his cell phone despite several attempts made by this scribe to get his point of view.