On the direction of the Chief Minister of Punjab to ensure availability of sugar at the official price, the provincial government has intensified a crackdown on “hoarders”, sealing two sugar mills and seizing hundreds of bags of the commodity during raids in different cities.
Acting on tip-offs from the Special Branch, the district administrations, along with the food department and police, conducted raids in Lahore, Sargodha, Sahiwal, Faisalabad and Rahim Yar Khan.
The authorities sealed a sugar mill each in Sargodha and Faisalabad, besides seizing 100 bags of sugar in Lahore, 480 in Sargodha, 960 in Sahiwal, and 6757 metric tons of the commodity in Rahim Yar Khan.
The sugar seized will be sold in the market at the official rate.
Punjab Chief Secretary Kamran Ali Afzal said that those “fleecing the consumers by creating an artificial shortage of essential commodities” would be dealt with iron hands.
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He said that crackdown on the hoarders would continue without any discrimination.
He said that sale of sugar at more than the ex-mill price of Rs84.75 and the retail price of Rs89.75 per kilogram would not be allowed in any case.
The chief secretary directed the administrative officers to take a stern action against those selling the commodity above the fixed rate.
He said that officials had been deployed at all the sugar mills to keep a check on the stocks.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 6th, 2021.
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