Butchers increase prices of mutton to Rs700, beef Rs450 per kg

Rawalpindi
Meat-sellers have increased the price of mutton to Rs700 and beef Rs450 per kilogram in the city and cantonment localities, while District Coordination Officer (DCO) Sajid Zafar has fixed the mutton price at Rs460 and beef Rs280 per kilogram. The same is the situation in the capital.
Some 'special' meat-sellers are selling mutton at Rs750 per kilogram at Adiala Road and Banni, but the local management is unmoved over the situation.
The meat-sellers of Adiala Road, Tulsa, Banni, Saddar, Satellite Town and Sadiqabad are openly overcharging consumers due to lukewarm attitude of the concerned authorities.
For the first time, the mutton price touched Rs700 and beef Rs450 in Rawalpindi and Islamabad.
Consumers of meat in various localities of the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad complained against overcharging and demanded that the authorities concerned should take action against butchers for selling meat at high prices.
Consumer expressed concern over the increase in prices of mutton and beef and urged the authorities concerned to rein in ever-increasing price hike.
It was also observed during a survey conducted by 'The News' that most butchers in the Potohar Division and Rawal Division and even in garrison limits do not display price lists.
Overall, the powerful butchers are violating official price lists in Saddar, Adiala Road, Chaklala Scheme-III, Chaklala, Lalkurti, Chungi Number 22, Jhanda Chichi, Tipu Road, Dheri Hassanabad, Bakra Mandi, Peshawar Road, Tulsa, Banni and Satellite Town.
The residents have been facing problems to get meat at fixed prices due to indifferent attitude of government officials and department concerned to control the prices of kitchen itemsd. Consumers lashed out at the authorities concerned for closing their eyes towards what they termed "a looting campaign" launched by butchers.
Safdar Qureshi, a representative of Rawalpindi Butchers Association, claimed that the prices of animals have gone up in the market and it is a big challenge for them to maintain the previous prices due to heavy expenses in terms of transportation and other costs. He said that the official rate of beef is Rs280 and mutton Rs460 per kilogram. However, it is difficult for them to sell meat at these prices, he said.
Special Price Magistrate Sohail Maqbool, when contacted, admitted that meat-sellers are looting consumers with both hands. He said that they are continuously taking action, registering FIRs and imposing fines against meat-sellers. He said that the government should appoint regular price magistrates to stop overcharging and ever-increasing inflation ratio.
Talking to 'The News,' people belonging to different walks of life condemned the lukewarm attitude of the concerned authorities and appealed to high-ups to stop butchers from looting consumers.
Maqsooda Begum, a housewife, who was quarrelling with a butcher for overcharging, said: "Butchers are emptying the pockets of poor people by selling meat and mutton at high rates."
Raja Liaquat Hussain, a resident of Banni, said that there is a powerful mafia of meat-sellers in his locality. "We could not do anything against meat-sellers as they are united against consumers. It seems that the local management is helpless before meat-sellers in Rawalpindi," he said.