Butchers accused of selling meat at inflated prices during Eid days

JHANG: Taking advantage of the official holidays, the butchers during Eid and the following days started selling meat at inflated prices without any fear of action from the district administration.

Aggrieved citizens, including salaried individuals, pointed out that butchers blatantly disregarded the notified prices. Mutton was sold at Rs 2,300 to 2,500 per kg instead of the fixed rate of Rs 1,500, beef at Rs 1,000 to 1,200 per kg instead of Rs700, and chicken at Rs 800 to 900 per kg instead of Rs 600 as set by the District Price Control Committee (DPCC).

According to the latest notification issued by the district administration, the prices of mutton and beef were reviewed with the consensus of all stakeholders, including butchers’ representatives, while chicken rates were notified by their union under the supervision of the local market committee. However, the butchers allegedly failed to honour their commitment to selling meat at controlled rates due to inadequate official monitoring, particularly during the Eid holidays.

The citizens said that the situation worsened during Eid and the following days, with butchers openly selling meat at excessive prices without fear of administrative action. They also noted that not only butcher shops, but also major grocery stores and marts were selling mutton, beef and chicken at higher prices under the guise of special quality. Furthermore, they pointed out that after butchers threatened to go on strike, the district administration officials hesitated to take action against shopkeepers engaged in price gouging. On the other hand, the district administration claimed that all assistant commissioners (ACs) and price control magistrates had been strictly instructed to respond immediately to complaints regarding meat and chicken overpricing, without yielding to any external pressure.

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