Latest news with #Rs950
Express Tribune
31-05-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
Rs223m sought for Raja Bazaar cabling project
As part of the underground cabling and beautification project in Raja Bazaar, adjacent to the historic Fawara Chowk, utility agencies have issued demand notices totalling Rs 223.3 million to the Rawalpindi Municipal Corporation (RMC). The agencies include the Islamabad Electric Supply Company (IESCO), Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL), Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA), and Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL). Following the completion of a similar project in Saddar's commercial areas and the conversion of Bank Road into a pedestrian-only street, the RMC has approved similar plans for Raja Bazaar and Commercial Market. In the first phase, IESCO issued a demand notice of Rs185 million, SNGPL Rs30 million, WASA Rs5 million, and PTCL Rs3.3 million. Work on civil infrastructure and network shifting will commence once payments are made, after which beautification efforts will be undertaken by the municipal corporation itself. Meanwhile, demand notices for the Commercial Market project are yet to be received. Separately, the corporation has floated tenders worth Rs950 million for carpeting, expansion, and redesigning of 14 roads across the city, with work set to begin after Eidul Azha. In another development, the old Rose Cinema building — constructed before the creation of Pakistan and located in front of Fawara Chowk — has been demolished after lease expiry and the lifting of a court stay. The site, measuring one kanal and eight marlas, is now under the corporation's control and has been earmarked for a multi-storey parking plaza. The proposal has been sent to the Punjab government for final approval. Additionally, another five-storey parking facility is planned on the site of the former municipal office near Fawara Chowk, where an incomplete three-storey RDA parking plaza already exists. The structural design for the new facility has been prepared, and cost estimation is underway. With three parking plazas in the Fawara Chowk vicinity, the corporation anticipates improved traffic flow and enhanced parking options for shoppers in the commercial district. Chief officer Imran Ali stated that the corporation is focused on upgrading road infrastructure and completing the two ongoing underground cabling and beautification projects to provide citizens with improved facilities.
Business Recorder
24-05-2025
- Health
- Business Recorder
Obesity silently crushing Pakistan's economy, health experts say
ISLAMABAD: Obesity is silently crushing Pakistan's economy, costing the country an estimated $3.41 billion annually (over Rs950 billion) and threatening to double to $7.6 billion (Rs2.13 trillion) by 2030 if urgent measures are not taken, health experts warned on Saturday. Citing data from the World Obesity Federation (WOF) at an awareness session held at the National Press Club (NPC) Islamabad, senior endocrinologists and public health officials described obesity as both a national health emergency and a major economic liability. The experts said the financial toll stems from increased public and private healthcare expenditures, rising absenteeism, reduced workplace productivity, and premature deaths caused by obesity-related complications. The escalating burden of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular ailments, fatty liver, and kidney disorders — all linked to excess body weight — is draining vital national resources while shrinking the country's productive labour force. An alarming picture emerged from a free screening camp conducted at NPC in collaboration with Getz Pharma, where around 150 journalists and their family members were tested. More than 70 percent were found to be overweight or obese, while 25 percent showed signs of diabetes and elevated blood pressure. Experts termed these findings a wake-up call for all sectors of society, especially policymakers. Renowned endocrinologist Prof Rauf Niazi said 70 to 80 percent of Pakistanis, including children, now fall in the overweight or obese category. He blamed the crisis on the unchecked consumption of carbohydrate-laden diets, processed snacks, sugary drinks, and junk food, coupled with a sedentary lifestyle. 'Obesity is not only making men impotent and women infertile due to PCOS, but is also the leading cause of early diabetes, strokes, heart attacks, and kidney damage through metabolic changes,' he warned. Prof Niazi further revealed that over 85 percent of the population may already be suffering from fatty liver disease — a dangerous, often unnoticed condition that disrupts cholesterol metabolism, triggers inflammation, and elevates cardiovascular risk. 'It's a time bomb. People remain unaware until it's too late,' he said, urging a return to simpler, healthier lifestyles. 'The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) had a flat belly, ate less, walked regularly, swam, and exercised with Hazrat Ali. That's the example we need to follow,' he stressed. Dr Mumtaz Ali Khan, Chief of Communicable Disease Control at the National Institute of Health (NIH), said Pakistanis are aging at an accelerated rate due to obesity and poor lifestyle habits. 'Most individuals screened at NPC were biologically at least ten years older than their actual age. We're becoming an old, diseased nation far too early,' he said. As a paediatrician, he expressed grave concern over rising childhood obesity, pointing to screen addiction, processed food, and lack of physical activity. 'We mistakenly equate fat with healthy in children. That mindset is dangerous.' Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Express Tribune
09-04-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
Chicken cost skyrockets even after Eid
The rates of chicken have skyrocketed in the open markets of Rawalpindi city even after passing of Eidul Fitr, sending a wave of resentment among buyers. Chicken meat is being sold at Rs950 per kilogramme in the city and Rs1,000 per kg in the surrounding areas. Live chickens is priced at Rs650 per kg in the city and Rs670 in the suburbs. There is no one to question the vendors about these prices. The government's claims about reducing inflation have fallen flat, and the rising prices of chicken in the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi show no signs of decreasing. A boycott campaign against buying chicken has proven ineffective, failing to achieve any success. The local Poultry Association states that the high demand for chicken in the market isn't being met with sufficient supply. Since the night before Eid, chicken demand has tripled across hotels, motels, barbecue shops, dhaba, and food streets, but the supply has not increased to meet this demand. According to Khurshid Abbasi, the vice president of the Poultry Association, the prices of chicken will not decrease until the supply increases. The cost of chicken feed, medicines, and other essentials has risen by up to 300%, he adds. Citizens Faisal Ali and Bahzad Ali complain that chicken prices have remained out of control since the night before Eid. The market committee sets the official price of chicken at Rs412 per kg but remains silent, while price control magistrates seem completely powerless in controlling the prices. The Chairman of the Price Control Committee, who has set the official price of Rs412 per kg, must ensure that chicken is sold at this price, or else resign, says another citizen Noor Zaman. He adds the entire government structure is based on lies. If the Prime Minister claims inflation is at just 1.5%, the Price Control and Market Committees continue to claim that chicken prices are under control. The price of watermelon is Rs20 per kg in cities, and Rs5 to Rs10 per kg in rural areas. Bur during the Eid holidays, watermelon was sold for Rs120 per kg. Sugar, with a government-set price of Rs164 per kg, is being sold in the market for Rs180 per kg. Due to the massive discrepancy between official and market prices, the Rawalpindi Deputy Commissioner (DC) has stopped setting official prices for ghee, sugar, and flour altogether.
