Lahore admin cracks down on non-compliance with roti, naan prices
LAHORE, (NNI): The Lahore district administration has initiated a crackdown on establishments failing to implement the revised rates for roti and naan amidst concerns over non-adherence to government-mandated prices.
The district administration got seven tandoor owners arrested and imposed heavy fines on 19 others found in violation of the prescribed pricing guidelines. Assistant commissioners and price control magistrates conducted thorough inspections of 296 tandoors across Lahore, issuing fines to 19 owners and issuing notices to 46 for non-compliance.
According to the Lahore deputy commissioner, the approved rates for roti and naan stand at Rs16 for a 100-gram roti and Rs20 for a 120gram naan. Despite these regulations, there have been reports of continued non-compliance by certain segments of the baking industry.
Meanwhile, the Muttahida Naanbai Association has openly rejected the reduced prices, while the implementation of the notification mandating a price of Rs16 for roti has yet to be implemented as well.
In a meeting with the deputy commissioner, Aftab Gul, president of the association, said they had not reduced the roti rates as yet, adding that they would express their reservations with the DC in a meeting.
Aftab Gul highlighted that while the rates for roti and naan have decreased, the cost of flour has remained unchanged. He stated that a 20kg bag of flour currently costs Rs2,400, which used to be Rs2,800, emphasizing that the reduction in prices has not been accompanied by a corresponding decrease in flour costs.
He further emphasized that when the price of roti was set at Rs20, the cost of a 20kg bag of flour stood at Rs2,100, indicating a disparity between pricing regulations and operational expenses faced by bakeries.