LAHORE, Jan 10: There has been no state control over the prices of the essential commodities since the induction of the district governments into office on August 14 last year.

The price control committees stand dissolved with the abolition of the offices of the district magistrates and the assistant commissioners under the devolution plan.

The newly formed district city governments have not bothered to evolve any alternative system to control the prices of the essential commodities so far.

The traders are now free to sell the essential commodities at their desired prices without any fear of retribution.

The price control committees existed at the police station, sub-division, tehsil and district levels under the defunct administrative system. Area magistrates headed the committees at the police station level. Sub-divisional and tehsil committees were headed by the assistant commissioners and the district magistrates were the heads of the district committees.

Manufacturers, traders and city notables constituted the committees which fixed and notified the prices of the essential commodities like meat, pulses, cooking oils and kerosene oil. These committees adopted necessary administrative measures for ensuring the availability of the same at the fixed prices.

The magistrates conducted raids for checking the prices of essential commodities in the market and penalized the shopkeepers found selling the same at prices higher than the prescribed rates and failing to display the price lists.