The caretaker Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government said on Monday prices of several essential commodities had declined in the past few days following a big cut in the prices of petroleum products announced by the federal government on October 15.
Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar chaired a review meeting, which was attended by Caretaker Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Azam Khan, key provincial ministers and senior officials via a video link. The meeting reviewed the prices of food items and transport fares in the wake of new petrol price.
On October 15, the federal caretaker government made a substantial reduction in petrol prices, cutting them by up to Rs40 per litre, providing the much-needed relief to the people, who had borne the brunt of a challenging economic crisis since mid-2022.
The price of petrol was reduced from Rs323.38 per litre to Rs283.38 per litre, effective from the next day, October 16. This reduction was in line with fluctuations in global oil prices and the strengthening of the Pakistani rupee against the US dollar.
Briefing the prime minister on behalf of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government, provincial officials said that after the announcement of fuel price cut, the provincial government took several steps to ensure that benefits of the price reduction reached the masses.
As a result, the officials said, the prices of transport fares and food items had come down. The meeting was informed that the transport fares in the province have decreased by 12% in the past week, besides a significant reduction in the prices of food items.
In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the officials continued, the price of rice had decreased by 7 to 15%, lentils by 9%, beans by 13%, onions by 10%, potatoes by 9%, tomatoes by 9%, while the price of mutton had come down by 10%.
The meeting was informed that the district administrations and related departments across the province had been mobilised for the implementation of the government measures for price reduction. It was added that actions were being taken on a daily basis to implement new prices and fares.
On account of the violation of the government measures and instructions, the officials said, 577 units had been sealed and a cumulative sum of Rs3 million had been imposed as fine. Furthermore, 68 people were arrested over the price hike, while 2,230 people were issued warning letters.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 24th, 2023.
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