ABBOTTABAD: Special teams constituted by the deputy commissioner, halal food authority and consumer court fined at least 22 shopkeepers for selling unhygienic food and overcharging in Abbottabad and its suburbs on Friday. Those fined included fruit and vegetable, meat and milk sellers besides bakeries.

The main slaughterhouse of Abbottabad was sealed for unhygienic condition as heaps of animal remains were lying there. The teams checked the shops in the city and surrounding villages like Qalandarabad, Harno Bazaar, Dhamthore, Bandi Dhondan and other areas.

Two petrol pumps were also sealed in Havelian by the district consumer officer for selling poor quality petrol and diesel.

Later, the confiscated food items were burnt at the food directorate in the presence of provincial food minister Qalandar Lodhi.

In Timergara, district food controller, Lower Dir, Abu Bakar Mehmood raided different markets and imposed fines on the shopkeepers for selling substandard food items.

Samples of food items were collected from over 300 shops and sent to the laboratory for test. The DFC imposed fines of Rs80,000 on the shopkeepers in Balambat, Timergara, Talash, Khall and Malakand. He warned the dealers of action if they violated the official price list and indulged in profiteering and hoarding.

In Ghalanai, price of wheat flour surged by Rs70 per 20 kg bag and sugar by over Rs400 per 50kg bag in the local markets of Mohmand tribal district.

A local dealer said that the spike in prices was witnessed after the government increased petroleum prices. The price of the 20kg bag of flour jumped to Rs850 from Rs780. The 40kg bag of fine quality wheat flour was available at Rs1,700 while sugar was selling at 3,780 per 50kg instead of its old rate of Rs3,200 though enough stock of the commodities was available in the area.

A Nanbai in the local market said that hoarders had again started buying wheat in large quantities to earn unjust profits. The residents have demanded of the administration to take action and control prices of essential commodities in the area.

Published in Dawn, May 18th, 2019