KARACHI: The Sindh High Court on Thursday directed the city administration, Sindh Food Authority (SFA) and other officials to appear on Sept 21 on a petition regarding price and quality of fresh milk.

A petition was filed against the provincial and local administration, the SFA and others for not ensuring the sale of fresh milk on notified prices as well as poor quality in the metropolis.

When a two-judge bench headed by Justice Mohammad Iqbal Kalhoro took up the petition for hearing, no one was present on behalf of the petitioner.

However, the bench said that it was a pro bono publico petition and proceeded with the matter. It directed all the relevant officials to ensure their presence on the next hearing.

The bench came down hard on the officials concerned for their failure to implement the official price and check the quality of fresh milk.

It was informed that the price of milk had been increased from Rs94 to Rs110 per litre.

An assistant commissioner representing the commissioner of Karachi contended that they would ensure the sale of milk on officially notified rates.

The SFA lawyer also argued that the authority would check the quality of milk.

Earlier, the commissioner office through a report had informed the SHC that a meeting with all stakeholders was being held to determine the price of fresh milk or to establish milk markets to fix milk price daily through open auction.

In a previous hearing, an additional commissioner had submitted that the wholesale rate of fresh milk was fixed at Rs88.5 whereas the retail price was set at Rs94 per litre in 2018, but the milk sellers were also complaining that the wholesale rate was much higher than the price fixed for retailers and thus it was not possible for them to sell milk at Rs94 per litre.

The petitioner contended that the official price of fresh milk was fixed at Rs94 per litre in the provincial metropolis, but it was being sold at around Rs140 per litre in parts of the city in violation of the notified rates and the respondents had failed to enforce the official price.

Published in Dawn, September 3rd, 2021