Sahulat bazaar to ensure availability of essentials
To ensure availability of essential commodities, particularly flour and sugar at the fixed prices in the province, the Punjab government has issued orders to the field officers to activate Sahulat bazaar at the tehsil level.
The authorities have also been directed to take indiscriminate action against the flour mills selling government-quota wheat in markets and sugar mills involved in hoarding.
The directives were issued at a meeting presided over by the Punjab chief secretary at the Civil Secretariat on Saturday.
The additional chief secretary, additional chief secretary (home), administrative secretaries of departments, commissioner Lahore, additional IG Special Branch and police officers attended the meeting while all divisional commissioners, RPOs, deputy commissioners and DPOs participated through video link.
The meeting decided to set up a price control cell at the provincial level.
Speaking at the meeting, the Chief Secretary said that to control price-hike and provide relief to the people as per the directions of the prime minister and Punjab chief minister, the administrative officers have to ensure implementation of fixed prices at all costs. “No negligence would be tolerated in this regard,” he warned.
He directed that ‘Sahulat bazaars’ at tehsil level should be fully activated and availability of eatables, including flour and sugar at discounted rates, should be ensured there. He said the growers should be encouraged to sell their produce directly at the farmers’ platforms at Sahulat bazaars without involvement of a middleman and required facilities should be provided to them as it would help ensure availability of fruits and vegetables at concessionary rates. He asked the officers to keep a check on the prices, demand and supply of food items in the Sahulat bazaars as well as in the open market.
The chief secretary said despite giving a subsidy of billions of rupees for the availability of flour at fixed prices, the shortage of the commodity was a question mark on the performance of the administrative officers.
He said non-functional flour mills selling government wheat have been identified in the province and a crackdown against them would be started from today (Sunday).
He said performance related to price control would be reviewed daily and in case of poor performance the deputy commissioner and assistant commissioner concerned would be held accountable. “In case the rate lists were not prominently displayed at shops, the relevant assistant commissioner would be sent packing,” he maintained.
The chief secretary also ordered the physical verification of stocks in sugar mills be carried out and sugar more than the declared stock be sold in the market. He said in the next one month, sugar mills would be allowed to sell sugar stocks only for consumption of domestic consumers and its sale for commercial use is disallowed.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 18th, 2020.