KARACHI, Feb 11: Sindh Chief Minister Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim on Saturday took a serious note of sugar shortage in the province, and asked the cane commissioners to urgently submit to him a report regarding the stock of sugar available with sugar mills of the province.

According to a handout, the chief minister had received information through public sources that certain millers in the province had been hoarding sugar. “The sugar mills in Badin district alone have hoarded 36,000 tons with the aim of attaining a hike in sugar prices artificially.”

Dr Arbab made it clear that hoarding of sugar in the province would not be tolerated and those involved in it would be taken to task.

Senate poll: Sindh Chief Minister Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim on Saturday expressed the hope that the PML-Q and its allies would be the major winner in the upcoming Senate election.

Presiding over a meeting of the parliamentary parties of the coalition at the CM’s House, he said that the coalition had swept the previous local bodies poll which reflected people’s confidence in the government.

The meeting also reviewed the matters relating to the Senate election. Dr Arbab, in his capacity as provincial chief of the PML-Q, awarded party tickets for the Senate poll to Abdul Ghaffar Qureshi, Kishan Chand Parwani and Seemi Siddiqui. PML-F awarded its ticket to Abdul Razzaque Thaheem.

Dr Arbab told the meeting that the government had carried out a record number of uplift projects to provide basic facilities to masses in the province.

He said steps were being taken towards alleviation of poverty and unemployment. He said that the ban on recruitment was being lifted in phases.

He said that in the past, government jobs had been given on the basis of nepotism and bribery but his government was taking steps to root-out this malpractice.—PPI