SHANGLA: The butchers in Bisham city here on Saturday observed a strike against the raids by assistant commissioner Wajid Ali.

The strike caused problems for the consumers across the city.

“I came very early to the bazaar from Kerai area to buy meat but the butchers’ shops were closed that frustrated me. The administration should regulate them if they are selling meat at high prices instead of conducting raids,” Tariq Aziz, a consumer, said.

He said the raids and protests were no solution to the issue, and called for the butchers and the administration to sit across the table to sort out the problem.

“The butchers were selling meat at Rs450 per one kilogramme, which invited the attention of the administration. We appreciate the action taken by the assistant commissioner.

But at the same time, the administration should ensure that butchers do not go on strike to the inconvenience of consumers,” Hamid ur Rehman, president of Bisham trade union, demanded.

The butchers’ union president Gul Zada said the assistant commissioner conducted frequent raids on their outlets which was injustice with them.

He claimed that butchers sold meat with bone at 320 per one kg and boneless at Rs420 per on kg, but the assistant commissioner fined them for selling boneless meat. He said Rs10,000 fine was imposed on each butcher.

He said the officer also misbehaved with the butchers and sent them to lockup.

This correspondent made several attempts to get version of the district administration on the issue, but no official received the calls.

Published in Dawn, May 27th, 2018