LAHORE, April 7: The district governments have shown no interest in price control since assuming power on August 14 last year.

The provincial governments exercised control on the prices of essential commodities through a network of price control committees headed by magistrates, assistant commissioners and district magistrates. The control was lifted automatically when the committees were dissolved with the induction of district governments. The district governments, however, have not bothered so far to introduce any price control system.

Price control committees had existed at the police station, sub-division, tehsil and district levels. Area magistrates headed the committees at the police station level. Sub-divisional and tehsil committees were headed by the assistant commissioners and the district committees by district magistrates.

Manufacturers, traders and city notables were nominated to the committees which fixed and notified the prices of commodities like meat, pulses, cooking oils and kerosene oil. Administrative measures were taken to ensure availability of the commodities at the fixed prices. The magistrates raided markets to check the prices and penalized the shopkeepers found charging higher than the prescribed rates or failing to display the price lists.