Rawalpindi:Even before the onset of Ramazan, an unrelenting wave of inflation has crippled the purchasing power of Rawalpindi’s residents. Prices of essential commodities, fruits, and vegetables have soared by up to 100 per cent, leaving consumers reeling as authorities remain conspicuously absent.
From pushcart vendors to wholesalers, traders across the city have sharply increased rates for nearly all basic goods. Yet, price control magistrates and market committees appear to have gone underground, while the district administration maintains what many citizens describe as a “mysterious silence”.
Although the Market Committee has classified fruits and vegetables into three quality grades - A, B, and C - and set corresponding price limits, vendors are reportedly charging “A-grade” rates for “C-grade” produce. Consumers allege that this manipulation has become routine, with little oversight or enforcement.
Residents are now demanding the immediate deployment of price control magistrates across all markets and the public release of their names and contact details, enabling citizens to file complaints promptly.
According to market sources, the committee’s enforcement has been confined to rural fringes, while urban centres remain largely unchecked. Meetings between the district administration and the Consumer Council have yielded little beyond photo opportunities, residents say.
“The Market Committee has completely failed to enforce its own rate lists,” said a local shopkeeper. “There seems to be an unspoken understanding between officials and traders.” Prices of staple vegetables - including potatoes, onions, tomatoes, lemons, and garlic - have continued to climb despite official caps. Meat prices have also spiralled, with beef selling at Rs1,500 per kilogramme and mutton reaching Rs2,400, reportedly because no fixed rates for meat have been issued by the committee.
Citizens told Online that the official price list is circulated to vendors only after midday, by which time traders have already sold a substantial portion of their stock at inflated rates. Complaints, they say, are futile.
“Calling the toll-free number on the rate list is just another ordeal,” said one frustrated resident. “You wait endlessly, listening to hold music, only to be told to contact another number - or worse, the line just goes dead.”
Residents also allege that the administration is “deceiving the provincial government through rhetoric and photo sessions”, while ground realities continue to deteriorate.
