Minister for Industries Chaudhry Muhammad Shafiq and Minister for Minority Affairs and Human Rights Khalil Tahir Sindhu on Sunday said that the government was making every effort to extend facilities to the public. They said that their Pakistan Muslim League government would not allow black-marketeers and hoarders a free hand. They were speaking to journalists during a visit to the Pull School and Milad Chowk Ramazan Bazaars in Rahim Yar Khan and Faisalabad Ramazan Bazaars respectively.
He directed district officials to monitor the quality and prices of the items being sold in the Ramazan Bazaars. He said that the chief minister had ordered district officials to ensure that quality necessities were available in the Ramazan Bazaars at subsidised rates.
Shafiq said that some of the opposition parties were critiquing the various developmental initiatives of the government because the idea of a prosperous Pakistan was an anathema to them. The minister directed district officials to maintain complaint registers and address grievances on an immediate basis.
Separately, District Coordination Officer (DCO) Imran Sikander Baloch on Sunday said that black-marketeers and hoarders would be dealt with an iron hand. Baloch was speaking to brokers at the Fruit and Vegetable Market. He also inspected the auction at the market.
Baloch said that the government had taken numerous steps to provide the public with reasonably priced basic necessities during Ramazan. The DCO urged the business community to cooperate with the government to provide succour to the public.
Sindhu said that laws were being strictly enforced to check hoarders and black-marketeers. He said that the quality of items being sold in Ramazan Bazaars would not be compromised.
The minister said that the entire state apparatus was monitoring Ramazan Bazaars to ensure that the public benefited from the initiative. Sindhu said that under the leadership of Shahbaz Sharif, the government was providing maximum economic assistance to the public. He said that a comprehensive strategy was being adhered to ensure the availability of nominally priced quality necessities in Ramazan Bazaars.
Sindhu inspects various Ramazan Bazaars across the city and checked the quality and prices of the commodities being offered for sale. The minister expressed satisfaction over the arrangements. He directed the officials to collate a price register to compare the difference between the rates prevalent in the open market and the Ramazan Bazaars for the benefit of the consumers.
The minister said that the crowds thronging the Ramazan Bazaars were representative of the success of the initiative. He praised the district authorities for organising the bazaars successfully. Sindhu observed sales of sugar and flour. He also checked the records to ensure transparency. DCO Nurul Amin Mengal was also present on the occasion.
Separately, price control magistrates fined 135 hoarders Rs139,500 collectively in Faisalabad on Sunday. The magistrates visited 91 markets across the district and carried out 201 inspections. DCO Mengal said that strict action would be taken against anyone guilty of fleecing the public.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 14th, 2014.
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