How to Report Overcharging in Punjab: Call 0800-02345 or Use the Qeemat App
Shop charging above the official price in Punjab? Call 0800-02345 or use the Qeemat app. The law, the daily rate list and fines up to Rs 500,000, explained.
To report a shop charging more than the official price in Punjab, call the toll-free number 0800-02345 or file a complaint on the Qeemat Punjab app. Both are printed on the official rate lists. Note the shop's name, the item, the price charged and the time before you call.
A vendor in a Lahore sabzi mandi asks Rs 220 for a kilo of onions. The official list for that day says Rs 185 for grade one. That gap is exactly what the price control system in Punjab exists to catch, and the complaint takes about two minutes.
We read the law on the Punjab Code website, the Lahore district price notification and the daily rate list for 29 September 2026. Here is how the system works and how to use it.
Overcharging in Punjab is an offence under the 2024 price control law
The Punjab Price Control of Essential Commodities Act 2024 bans selling any listed item above its fixed maximum price. The same section orders every seller to display the official price list at a place customers can see. Breaking either rule is a criminal offence.
Section 7 of the Act is short. No person shall sell an essential commodity above the maximum price, and every seller must show the list of fixed prices "at conspicuous place of his sale point". So a shop with no rate list on display is already breaking the law, even before you look at the prices.
The Act lists 49 items in its Schedule. The ones people buy every day include:
- Wheat, atta and maida, sugar, milk, yoghurt and eggs
- Beef, mutton, chicken and fish
- All fruits, vegetables, pulses and spices
- Edible oil and ghee, tea and salt
- Naan, roti, bread and even samosa
- Domestic LPG, kerosene and firewood
If an item is not on that list, such as a branded phone charger, this law does not fix its price. For a faulty or overpriced product outside the list, a consumer court complaint is the better route.
The Deputy Commissioner fixes the official price in each district
In each district, the Deputy Commissioner is the Controller of Prices and Supplies under the Act. The Deputy Commissioner issues the price notification for items like milk, meat and roti. Market committees issue fresh fruit and vegetable rates every morning.
Prices differ from district to district, and that is legal. Section 6 lets officials fix different prices for different areas and for wholesale and retail. So a Lahore price does not apply in Multan.
We read the Lahore notification dated 3 August 2026, issued by the Deputy Commissioner under the 2024 Act. It sets these retail prices:
| Item | Official retail price in Lahore |
|---|---|
| Milk | Rs 170 a litre |
| Tandoori roti (100 grams) | Rs 14 |
| Beef with bone | Rs 800 a kilo |
| Mutton with bone | Rs 1,600 a kilo |
| Besan | Rs 210 a kilo |
| Onion, grade one (29 September 2026) | Rs 185 a kilo |
| Tomato, grade one (29 September 2026) | Rs 160 a kilo |
The same notification has a rule for bottled water. The price printed by the company is the price. If no price is printed, the seller may charge the invoice price plus 5% profit, and no more.
The official daily rate list is on your district website
Each district posts its rate lists on its own website under punjab.gov.pk. In Lahore, lahore.punjab.gov.pk has separate vegetable, fruit, poultry and commodity rate lists. The vegetable list is updated almost every day.
The Lahore vegetable list for Tuesday 29 September 2026 came from the Market Committee Lahore. It gives two prices per kilo for each vegetable, grade one and grade two. Onions were Rs 185 and Rs 175. Potatoes were Rs 33 and Rs 30. Peas were Rs 400 and Rs 383. The list carries 0800-02345 at the top, marked for complaints.
Two small details on that list matter. It says a photocopy without the original stamp is not valid. And it states the printed list itself costs Rs 20. So a shopkeeper showing an unstamped copy with old prices is not showing an official list.
Other districts use the same address pattern, for example rawalpindi.punjab.gov.pk. Flour works a little differently, and the current flour price in Punjab is tracked each week.
How to report overcharging to the Punjab government
Call 0800-02345, the Chief Minister's complaint line, or use the Qeemat Punjab app. The government's IT board says the Qeemat portal is linked to that complaint cell so price complaints reach officials for action. Keep your complaint number.
- Check the official price first. Open your district's rate list for today, or look at the list the shop must display.
- Note the details. Write down the shop's name, market and street, the item, the price you were charged and the time.
- Keep proof if you can. A receipt helps most. A clear photo of the price tag also helps. Do not argue or film people in a way that starts a fight.
- Call 0800-02345 or open the Qeemat Punjab app. The Rawalpindi district website says complaints about overpricing of essential items and food can be registered on the app.
- Save the complaint reference. If nothing happens, you can raise it again on the Pakistan Citizen Portal with the same details.
The Punjab Enforcement and Regulatory Authority, known as PERA, also has a complaint form at pera.punjab.gov.pk/complaint. It asks for your CNIC number and phone number. We could not test the full form without filing a real complaint.
Buying at the high price does not make you part of the offence. Section 13 of the Act says a person who buys for their own use is not an abettor.
Fines for overcharging go up to Rs 500,000 and three years in jail
Under section 10, a seller who breaks a price order can get up to three years in prison, a fine of up to Rs 500,000, or both. A second conviction brings at least one month or a Rs 45,000 fine, and the shop may be sealed.
These are maximums. The actual fine is set case by case. The other powers in the Act are just as important for a shopkeeper:
- Special Magistrates try the case. Section 16 lets a Special Magistrate enter the shop and try the offence on the spot, in a summary trial.
- Stock can be sold at the fixed price. Section 8 lets the officer who seizes the goods sell them right there at the official price.
- The offence is serious. Section 11 makes it cognizable and non-bailable, which means police can act without a warrant.
- Sealing for repeat offenders. A second conviction can close the business for up to seven days.
A shopkeeper who thinks an order is unfair can appeal. Against a Deputy Commissioner's order, the appeal goes to the Divisional Commissioner within seven working days.
Common questions
What is the Punjab price control complaint number?
The toll-free number is 0800-02345. It is printed on the Lahore rate lists and in the Deputy Commissioner's price notification as the number for price complaints.
Where can I see today's official vegetable prices?
On your district website. In Lahore, go to lahore.punjab.gov.pk and open the vegetable rate list. It shows grade one and grade two prices per kilo.
Is it illegal for a shop not to display a rate list?
Yes. Section 7 of the 2024 Act says every seller must display the list of fixed prices at a place customers can see.
Can I be fined for buying at a higher price?
No. Section 13 says a person who buys an essential item for personal use is not treated as helping the offence.
Does the price control law cover medicines?
No. Medicines are not in the Schedule of the 2024 Act. Medicine prices are set federally by DRAP, the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan.
Are prices the same across Punjab?
No. Each Deputy Commissioner fixes prices for their own district, and vegetable rates change daily. Always check your own district's list.
How we verified this
What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.
Last checked on 30 September 2026. We read the full text of the Punjab Price Control of Essential Commodities Act 2024 on the Punjab Code website, including sections 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13 and 16 and the Schedule. We read the Lahore Deputy Commissioner's notification of 3 August 2026 and the Lahore vegetable rate list for 29 September 2026 on lahore.punjab.gov.pk. The link between the Qeemat portal and 0800-02345 is from the Punjab IT board's own announcement, and the app's use for overpricing complaints is from the Rawalpindi district website. We did not file a test complaint, so we cannot say how fast action follows. The Price Control and Commodities Management Department's website did not load when we tried it. This is general information, not legal advice.
About the author
Public Services and Education Journalist
Fajr Riaz is a journalist and content writer at Pakistan Era, based in Lahore. She covers the questions people meet in everyday life in Pakistan: how a public service works, what a change in the rules means, and where to find a reliable answer.
