Soaring food prices and unchecked profiteering have triggered widespread frustration among citizens, as shopkeepers across the city continue to flout government-fixed rates with impunity. Despite weekly rate notifications issued by local authorities, enforcement remains virtually nonexistent, allowing retailers to charge nearly double the official prices for essential items.
Consumers report that most markets are operating on their own terms, with official price lists often displayed merely for compliance but ignored in practice. This week’s most glaring example is live chicken, which was officially priced between Rs244 and Rs258 per kg, but sold as high as Rs360. Chicken meat, meant to retail at Rs374 per kg, was offered for Rs480 to Rs550, while boneless cuts shockingly reached Rs1,000 per kg.
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Vegetable prices told a similar story. Potatoes listed at Rs60 to Rs65 were sold for up to Rs140, tomatoes priced at Rs50 were retailed at Rs120, and onions meant to cost Rs35 to Rs40 were being sold at double the rate. Garlic and ginger, both essential ingredients in local kitchens, also saw steep markups. Chinese garlic fixed at Rs260 per kg sold for Rs400, while ginger crossed Rs700 in some areas.
Even fruits failed to offer relief. Watermelon, whose official price was lowered to Rs35 per kg, continued to retail for Rs80 to Rs130, showing that price reductions on paper had no real effect on the ground.
With no effective crackdown in sight, citizens are demanding urgent intervention to curb profiteering and restore price discipline in markets.
