Traders face penalties for profiteering

The Punjab government has imposed strict measures like hefty fines, cases and cancellations of shop permits against grocery merchants, chicken shops, milkmen and meat-selling shops for selling eatables at inflated rates, and substandard and outdated eatables. E-challans will be imposed on all shopkeepers for illegal profiteering and selling harmful and expired essential eatables.

A case will be registered against a shopkeeper, who receives three challans, and his shop will be sealed for three days. The green license of such shopkeepers will also be cancelled, and will not be renewed.

The All Punjab Karyana/Grocery Merchants Association, the Gawala/milkmen Union, the Poultry Union and the Meat Association have rejected the new shop rules and challan system, declaring that no shopkeeper will give his ID card and ID card number to any challan holder.

Saleem Pervez Butt, the president of Central Karyana/Grocery Merchants Association, said that these new rules were not business-friendly as those were a noose for shopkeepers.

"We will not allow any shop to be closed and will not pay fines," he said, adding their basic and central demand was that grocery items, milk, meat and chicken rates should be given according to the market across Punjab as rates fixed by sitting in air-conditioned rooms would not be accepted.

After buying expensive pulses, goods, food and drink items, it was not possible to sell them at cheap rates, he added.