July 20, 2006	Thursday	Jumadi-ul-Sani 23, 1427

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LAHORE, July 19: Special magistrates arrested 82 shopkeepers in 276 raids in various city areas to check profiteering and hoarding on Wednesday, the first day of their functioning, amid reports that police were non-cooperative in registration of cases against the accused.

The traders found overcharging were fined a total of Rs249,000 when the 18 magistrates appointed a day ago raided Islampura, Sanda, Gulshan-i-Ravi, Shahdara, Cantonment, Gulberg, Green Town, Kot Lakhpat, Ravi Road, Singhpura, Township, and Lower Mall.

DCO Muhammad Ijaz is personally monitoring and supervising the campaign being coordinated by the EDO (Revenue).

There were reports that police used delaying tactics in registering cases against or arresting the profiteers in Township and other areas.

The magistrates, especially those who did not have past experience of magistracy, kept waiting in police stations for hours for getting the cases enlisted as police were insisting on negotiating with the accused instead of challaning them.

One of the magistrates put it as “they (the police) were looking like representatives of traders instead of law-enforcers.”

Many of them challaned on Wednesday were owners of big stores and soon after their arrest influential politicians and other people started approaching senior authorities for their release.

The DCO denied that he had received any complaints against cooperation by police.

“We’ve been provided two reserves of police (80 personnel) for arresting profiteers or coping with any law and order situation during raids.”

He said that before the launch of the campaign he had told the magistrates that their performance would be monitored on a daily basis. “I want a difference in prices visible within days.”

A meeting on alternate days will be held to review the raids strategy, he said.

A complaint cell in the office of the EDO (Revenue) would operate round-the-clock to receive complaints against the traders selling essential commodities higher than the notified prices.

The campaign against profiteering also included action against adulteration of food and short measuring, he said.

raids daily: The recently appointed special magistrates will daily conduct raids to check hoarding, adulteration and profiteering.

This was stated by Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi while presiding over a meeting held here on Wednesday at his secretariat to review implementation of the plan to keep prices of essential items under control, and provide subsidised pluses, sugar and flour to the people.

Agriculture Minister Arshad Lodhi, Food Minister Chaudhry Muhammad Iqbal, Chief Secretary Salman Siddique and other senior officials attended the meeting.

The chief minister said the government had started implementing an action plan to ensure supply of daily-use items at reasonable prices. For the purpose, he said, it had given powers of 1st class special magistrates to all DCOs, EDOs, DOs and DDOs (revenue), who would conduct raids to control profiteering, adulteration and inflation.

He said, if required, these magistrates would be assisted by police. They would keep the provincial government informed of their performance on regular basis. In addition to controlling prices, the government would also ensure quality and regular supply of essentials, he said.

The chief minister said the committee constituted under the food minister was also improving the monitoring system to keep the prices under control.

He said the government was giving a Rs2 billion subsidy on providing pulses, sugar and flour to people at affordable prices. Hundreds of thousands of poor families would be benefited by this programme, under which pulses and sugar would be sold at Rs10 less than the per kilo market rate of these items, he said.

He said the “sasta ata” programme was also being expanded, and in addition to the market committees, district price-control bodies too were being activated to give relief to the poor.