The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Tuesday directed the concerned authorities not to increase the prices of dairy milk products and follow the rules regarding the pricing issue.
The SHC bench was hearing the petition filed against the over-pricing of dairy products and seeking formation of a taskforce to regulate the prices. The Karachi commissioner informed that 123 shopkeepers, who were charging more on milk prices, had been sent to jail since March 2, 2016.
During Tuesday’s hearing, the commissioner submitted in the report that actions had been taken against 306 profiteers in the past three months. “As many as 123 profiteers have been sent to jail and Rs 1.85 million were fined since March,” the report added.
The dairy farmers’ counsel added that they were selling milk at Rs 70 per liter yet the action was being taken against them. The additional advocate general informed the court that the dairy farmers wanted to increase the prices ahead of Ramazan on which the court restrained the authority concerned from increasing the prices of dairy products. The court directed them to follow the rules on the prices issue.
Earlier, the petitioner had stated that the authorities concerned were not fixing the prices of dairy products by following the procedure provided under Price Control and Prevention Profiteering and Hoarding Act, 1977.
According to the petitioner, the SHC had directed the authorities concerned to form a mechanism to control and maintain the prices of dairy product; however, the milk prices had been increased which was violation of court’s earlier order.