MANSEHRA: Deputy Commissioner Amir Khattak has ordered a police crackdown on transporters not reducing fares even after a significant cut in the prices of petroleum products.

He issued the orders during a meeting of the Consumer Protection Council (CPC), which was held at the district council hall here on Thursday.

CPC chairman Shahjahan Khan Swati, its members, district police officer Ijaz Khan, assistant commissioner Qasim Ali Khan and officials of the relevant departments attended the meeting.

The CPC chairman and members said that though the government had significantly reduced oil prices, the urban transport and cabbies didn’t decrease fares accordingly. “The transporters and businessmen enjoying the relief because of the cut in petroleum prices would not reduce the fares and prices until the police will launch a crackdown on them,” said Mr Swati.

He said that in past CPC had played an important role in bringing down the prices of CNG when the owners increased its prices by their own. He said that the police should take to task those people who had not been passing the relief to consumers.

Speaking on the occasion, the deputy commissioner said that nobody was above law and warned that if transporters and those who enjoyed the benefit of reduction in rates of petroleum products didn’t decrease the prices of goods, action would be taken against them.

He said that the police would launch a crackdown on transporters and compel them to decrease the fares in accordance with the reduction in oil prices.

He said that the district administration had been trying to bring stability in prices of essential commodities and the officers concerned were making regular visits to markets in this regard.

He lauded CPC for working side by side with the district administration not only to check the prices, but also to curb the sale of substandard and unhygienic food items in the local markets.

KILLED: A man killed his younger brother over a domestic dispute in Sheikul Gari area here on Thursday.

According to police, both brothers exchanged harsh words over a domestic issue which led to the elder brother, Mohammad Shahab, opening fire on Mohammad Sohail. Sohail succumbed to his injuries on way to King Abdullah hospital here. The Sadar police have registered an FIR against the accused.

Published in Dawn, December 12th, 2014