Food Minister Bilal Yasin and Zaeem Hussain Qadri, a spokesman for the government, said on Saturday action would be taken against those not selling petrol and diesel at reduced prices.
They told a press conference the government wanted to make it sure that the common man benefited from the recent reduction in fuel prices.
They said special squads, headed by district coordination officers, had been tasked with checking petroleum prices. They said transport fares had been reduced by eight to 10 per cent. Subsequently, the prices of items of daily use would also go down, they said.
Yasin said prices of fruits, vegetables and pulses had decreased considerably in three months. The minister said that soon after fuel prices were decreased, the provincial government had made it sure that the new rates were implemented immediately.
He said transporters had reduced the fares from Rs600 to Rs550 and Rs1,000 to Rs925. He said all fares above Rs1,000 had been reduced by Rs150.
Yasin said the fares of buses plying on paved roads had been reduced from Rs1.06 to 98 paisas a kilometre; Rs1.11 to Rs.1.03 for the vehicles plying on katcha roads and Rs1.16 to Rs1.08 for those operating in hilly areas.
Qadri said Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif had been personally monitoring the prices. He said action had been taken against 196 fuel stations during 2,085 raids across the province for not selling fuel at the rates fixed by the government.
The minister said the government had maintained the price of a 20-kilogramme bag of wheat flour at Rs785 for two years. He said the price of sugar would be brought down to Rs55 a kilogramme.
The spokesman said 30 petrol pumps had been sealed and cases had been registered against 54 fuel station owners. A fine of Rs650,000 has been collected in this regard, he said. Qadri said the recent reduction in fuel prices products was the biggest in the country’s history. “Our policies are people-friendly, benefiting common man. No one will be allowed to exploit the common man and no on would be allowed to flout government directions.”
Published in The Express Tribune, November 2nd, 2014.
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