July 08, 2008	Tuesday	Rajab 4, 1429

KARACHI, July 7: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah has ordered stringent measures, including raids on wholesale and retail shops, to curb profiteering and keep the prices of essential commodities under control.

“The profiteers and hoarders should be booked and sent for summary trial and fined,” the chief minister said while chairing a meeting held on Monday at the CM’s House where he was given a briefing on the supplies of essential commodities like flour, sugar, ghee, oil and pulses. He was informed that essential commodities were in abundance in all cities, however, hoarders and profiteers had created an artificial shortage.

The meeting decided that raids would be carried out under the supervision of revenue officials in coordination with police to check hoarding. It was decided that price control committees, headed by members of the provincial assembly, would be set up with DDOs, EDOs and other officials as their members to keep prices under control and ensure availability of essential food items at reasonable rates.

Participants of the meeting were informed that wheat flour was being sold at Rs19 and Rs20 a kilo in Punjab, while the Pakistan Flour Mills Association fixed ex-mills rate as Rs25 a kilo with an assurance that the rate would be lowered to Rs22 a kilo by the end of the current week at the flour mills outlets. However, wheat flour was available for Rs16 and Rs17 a kilo at utility stores.

Later, the chief minister was briefed about the agriculture department’s performance by Sindh Agriculture Minister Syed Ali Nawaz Shah.

Minister Shoaib Bokhari, Chief Secretary Fazl-ur-Rehman, IG Police Babar Khattak, Home Secretary Mohammad Arif Khan, Secretary Agriculture Subhago Khan Jatoi, Secretary Food Ejaz Ali Khan, DCO Karachi Mohammad Hanif and Director Food Ashfaq Moosvi were also present.