LAHORE– Chief Secretary Punjab Kamran Ali Afzal has directed all the divisional commissioners to expedite action against profiteers and hoarders across the province.
He said that mere fines over hoarding were not enough and the stern action would be a lesson for those involved in this illegal practice.
He gave this direction while presiding over a meeting to review the price control measures at Civil Secretariat here on Saturday.
The Chief Secretary said that those fleecing people by creating an artificial shortage of commodities would be dealt with iron hands. He directed the officers to sell the items recovered from the hoarders in the market.
The Chief Secretary also issued instructions to address the causes of high prices of vegetables in Sialkot and Okara and to ensure the availability of flour at the officially fixed price in Faisalabad. He said that the biggest problem of the common man is the price-hike, adding that government officers would have to perform their duties more efficiently to overcome this issue. He asked the officers that people should be sure that the government was taking steps for their welfare. He opined that prices could be brought down by improving the system of agricultural markets.
The Chief Secretary was briefed by all the divisional commissioners regarding the price control measures. The Chief Secretary while praising the performance of the officers also directed them to maintain the continuity of the administrative measures.
The administrative secretaries of relevant departments including food, industries, and agriculture, commissioner and deputy commissioner Lahore attended the meeting while all the divisional commissioners and deputy commissioners participated through video link.— HANDOUT
