Roti price increases in twin cities

Islamabad : The Capital Naanbhai Welfare Association (CNWA), Islamabad has increased the rate of ‘Roti’ by Rs5 and selling at Rs15. The CNWA has increased the rate of roti at their own without permission of district administration here on Friday.

The CNWA President Sajjad Ali Abbasi told ‘The News’ that they have increased the price of ‘roti’ by Rs5. He said, “we are selling a ‘roti’ at Rs15, ‘naan’ at Rs15, ‘kulcha’ at Rs20, ‘rogni’ at Rs35 and ‘paratha’ at Rs35.”

We have taken this decision because government increased ‘Atta’ and gas cylinder prices.

If local administration tried to arrest us, we would block all main roads, he warned.

On the other hand, Rawalpindi Naanbhai Welfare Association (RNWA) President Muhammad Shafiq Qureshi has rejected the new prices of ‘roti’ and ‘naan’ fixed by Deputy Commissioner (DC).

After five years, the DC, Rawalpindi increased the prices of ‘roti’ from Rs7 to Rs10 and a ‘naan’ by from Rs10 to Rs13.

It seems that deputy commissioner did not know about market rates where a ‘roti’ was selling at Rs12 and a ‘naan’ at Rs15 for over two years. The RNWA president said that if local management arrested us, we will go to strike and lockdown whole Rawalpindi city. We will stage ‘sit-in’ here at Faizabad, he warned.

He said that government has increased ‘Atta’ and ‘Fine Atta’ prices. We are using gas cylinder in absence of natural gas. The prices of gas cylinder have also increased.

The deputy commissioner (DC), Rawalpindi not only increased the prices of ‘roti’ and ‘naan’ but some other eatable items. The new prices were mentioned in a notification issued by Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Ali. The price of daal (lentil) channa was fixed at Rs145 to Rs150 per kg, daal channa (small) Rs130 to Rs136 per kg, chickpeas at Rs190 to Rs200 per kg, daal moong at Rs140 per kg, daal masoor at Rs170-Rs180, daal mash at Rs220, daal mash (small) at Rs270 per kg, rice (super basmati) at Rs135-Rs140 per kg and broken rice at Rs65-Rs70 per kg.

Furthermore, the price of milk was fixed at Rs110 to Rs130 per litre and curd at Rs140 per kg. The price of mutton was fixed at Rs1,000 per kg and beef at Rs500 per kg whereas wheat flour from private mills (chaki) at Rs58 per kg. But, beef is already selling at Rs650 to Rs700 and mutton at Rs1,400 t0 Rs1,500 per kilogram.

The Deputy Commissioner (DC), Rawalpindi Muhammad Ali said that Naanbhais cannot sell ‘roti’ and ‘naan’ in higher prices. “I have already increased the prices of ‘roti’ and ‘naan,’ if Naanbhais violate our price list I will take strict action against them,” he warned.