Provincial Minister for Industries and Trade Mian Aslam Iqbal presided over a meeting of task force for price control at CM office today in which prices of essential items, steps being taken for checking artificial price-hike and performance of Price Control Magistrates came under review. Secretary Industries and Trade, Secretaries of concerned departments, DG Industries and senior officials participated in the meeting while Commissioners and Deputy Commissioners also attended the meeting via video link across the province. Aslam Iqbal while addressing the participants in the meeting said that earning due profit is a just right while making undue profit amounts to dacoity on the rights of common masses. Profiteers will never be allowed to snatch the rights of consumers and PTI government will go to every limit to secure the rights of common people. Aslam Iqbal expressed his severe indignation over selling of essential items exceeding fixed prices and directed that administration of DG Khan should improve the prevailing situation forthwith. If prices are to be increased then they can be elevated overnight and it takes months to decrease them and such practices will have to be changed. He said that prices of different brands of ghee have been fixed varying between Rs. 140 to 180 per kg after holding consultations with ghee manufacturers and strict action should be taken against those violating fixed prices. Special attention should be made on the prices of vegetables, tomatoes, potatoes and onions and monitoring should also be done on the prices of essential edibles, quality and its provision in 32 modern bazaars across the province, he directed. A report was also presented during the meeting about the steps taken by Price Control Magistrates on 15th November. According to details of the report, raids were conducted on 9213 shops across the province and 1855 violations regarding to profiteering also surfaced. 273 cases were registered in which 158 persons were arrested and fines amounting to Rs. 42 lac 26 thousands and eight hundred rupees were also imposed.
