KARACHI: The Sindh High court was informed on Thursday that “fair and judicious” price of fresh milk could not be worked out despite several meetings with the stakeholder.
According to a detailed report submitted before a bench headed by Justice Muhammad Karim Khan Agha, which was hearing a petition of All Karachi Milk Retailers Welfare Association, various meetings in compliance with the SHC order of September 21, 2021, regarding fixation of milk price were held.
The court was told that the meetings were held time and again in the commissioner office, but they remained unproductive due to unnecessary antagonism, inflexibility and rigidity of retailers, whole seller and dairy farmers association.
The report pointed out that self-claimed extra prices of milk were fixed in the city in violation of sections 3 and 7 of the Sindh Essential Commodities Price Control and Prevention of Profiteering and Hoarding Act 2005.
The report mentioned that district administrations in Karachi had imposed a fine of Rs9.983 million against 1,899 profiteers from January 01, 2021, to October 15, 2021.
Along with the report, the minutes of the meetings and decisions taken in them was also attached.
According to various decisions, representatives of Sindh Food Authority would visit auction points as well as whole sellers and retailers to check the quality of milk and take action against the violations.
The cost of inputs from Hyderabad, Lahore, Rawalpindi and Peshawar would be obtained and assessed and compared with Karachi by the bureau of supply and prices. The auction of milk price at Lea Market would be monitored on daily basis for two weeks to get a rough idea about the feasibility of conducting a daily open auction of milk of determining its daily price.
The bench was informed that the final meeting for fixing the prices will be held on October 28. After taking the report on record the court deferred further hearing.