Rawalpindi Grapples with Inflation: Prices Skyrocket Amidst Government Inaction

Rawalpindi faces unprecedented inflation with skyrocketing prices in essential goods, severely affecting household budgets. Despite government assurances, the situation remains dire, with no updated price list announced. Frustration grows among residents and merchants as prices of staples, dairy, and spices surge dramatically.

Rawalpindi is experiencing an unprecedented surge in inflation as essential commodity prices soar, contradicting government assurances of price stability. This escalation has heavily burdened household budgets, the Express Tribune has reported. Staples such as pulses, cooking oil, flour, and vegetables have seen substantial price increases. Black gram now costs PKR 600 per kilogram, and split chickpeas are priced at PKR 400 per kilogram. Cooking oil has reached PKR 520 per litre, while the price of a carton of ghee has surged by PKR 1500.

The inflation wave has also affected beverages, with soft drinks becoming PKR 10 more expensive. Spices have seen a 50 percent price hike. Meanwhile, chicken is now sold at PKR 650 per kilogram, and eggs have reached PKR 330 per dozen. Dairy products are not exempt, with milk costing PKR 220 per litre, and yoghurt at PKR 240 per kilogram, according to the Express Tribune.

In a bid to address these soaring costs, representatives from various local associations, including the Central Grocery Merchants Association and others, met with the Deputy Commissioner in a Price Control Committee meeting. However, the session concluded without issuing an official price list for food, groceries, or other essentials, reported the Express Tribune. The delay in releasing revised rates, expected on November 7, has caused discontent among residents and merchants. Salim Parvez Butt, Central President of the Grocery Merchants Association, expressed outrage over the inaction, warning that merchants might boycott government-regulated products if revised prices are lower than wholesale market rates, the Express Tribune reported.

The ongoing inflation has left the residents in a state of uncertainty, straining household finances and aggravating dissatisfaction with the government's ineffective intervention. (ANI)

(With inputs from agencies.)