Crackdown: 13 shopkeepers held for overcharging

Gilgit district administration put 13 shopkeepers behind bars and imposed on them fines amounting to Rs43,000.

GILGIT: In a crackdown on profiteers, the Gilgit district administration on Wednesday put 13 shopkeepers behind bars and imposed on them fines amounting to Rs43,000. An official of the district administration said that the detained shopkeepers, which include eight butchers, were earlier issued warnings for selling substandard foot items at exorbitant rates, especially during Ramazan. He added that action was taken after receiving numerous complaints from residents. Magistrates Asghar and Chiraguddin collected Rs28,000 and Rs10,000 respectively from the different fruit and meat sellers for selling food items at high prices and sent them to police lockup. Magistrate Gulam Shah imposed fines worth Rs5,000 on shopkeepers selling substandard flour, the official informed.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 26^th, 2012.