PAMPORE: After authorities acted tuft against butchers in saffron town Pampore of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district, the butchers on Sunday started selling mutton at government approved rates.
The J&K administration recently fixed mutton rates at Rs 480 a kilogram.
The rates were fixed after consumers complained about exorbitant mutton rates. However, mutton dealers had objected to the government rates saying they were not genuine.
The traders had also boycotted the sale of mutton in protest. Javid Ahmad Ganie, Bashir Ahmad Ganie and other butchers in Drangbal Chowk and Namblabal Pampore, however, opened their shops on Sunday and started selling mutton at Rs 480 per kg, officials told Kashmir Reader.
Earlier, the local administration in south Kashmir’s Saffron town Pampore had sealed nine butcher shops for selling meat at higher rates with many of them also fined for the violation in Drangbal, Namblabal and Kadlabal area of Pampore.
The drive was conducted by a joint team of the Revenue department led by Tehsildar Pampore Ishtiyaq Mohi-ud-Din, Police Pampore and Food Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs.
Tehsildar Pampore Ishtiyaq Mohi-ud-Din told Kashmir Reader that the butchers have given in writing that they will sell mutton at government approved rates.
“We are keeping an eye on the supply side also to monitor that sheep traders do too abide by government approved rates for sheep,”he said, warning that violators will be taken to task. The local residents of Saffron town Pampore hailed the administration for making butchers to abide by government rates.

BILAL HABIB