Srinagar, May 2 (JKNS): Residents from several areas of Srinagar have complained about the overpricing of traditional Kashmiri bread, alleging that Kander Czot is being sold at Rs 10 instead of the officially fixed rate of Rs 7.
Locals from Baghat, HMT, Hyderpora, and other neighbourhoods told news agency JKNS that most bakers are neither following the fixed rate nor preparing the smaller-sized bread priced at Rs 7.
“Despite the rate being set at Rs 7, bakers are openly selling it for Rs 10. And when we ask them to provide the Rs 7 bread, they refuse, saying they don’t make it anymore,” said a resident of Baghat.
Another local from HMT remarked, “There’s no enforcement. The administration is silent, and bakers are doing what they want.”
Earlier this year, during Ramadan, the Bakers Association had controversially increased the rates of traditional breads Girda, Lawasa, and Telvor from Rs 5 to Rs 10 per piece, leading to widespread criticism. Bakers had stopped preparing the Rs 5-sized breads altogether.
Following public outrage, the divisional administration intervened, after which the association slashed the price and fixed Rs 7 for small-sized roti.
However, the Department of Food, Civil Supplies, and Consumer Affairs (FCS&CA) expressed its inability to act, citing that it no longer holds the mandate to regulate market prices. It has come to light that the department officially lost this regulatory authority in June 2023.
“Who is supposed to check this now? If FCS&CA can’t regulate prices, does that mean the public will continue to be exploited?” asked a local from Hyderpora.
Residents urged authorities to put a proper mechanism in place to control market prices and ensure compliance. “If rates are fixed, there should be accountability. Otherwise, it’s just lawlessness,” they said. (JKNS