LAHORE, Oct 27: Profiteers found selling essential commodities at exorbitant prices during Ramazan will be fined between Rs15,000 and Rs100,000 under the Ehtram-i-Ramazan Ordinance.

District Nazim Mian Amer Mahmud gave this out at a press conference on Monday while announcing opening of 58 Cheap Bazaars, 199 Fair Price Shops, five Family Markets, six Green Channels and 30 poultry and 50 Fresh Milk discounted shops in the city district.

He said these facilities would be in addition to the 15 Sunday and Wednesday Bazaars for selling essential commodities at fair prices under the Ramazan Contingency Plan.

The Lahore High Court, he said, had conferred judicial powers on 47 City District Government and Town Municipal Officers for controlling prices and supplies during Ramazan. He said the people won’t be allowed to eat and drink in public or purvey eatables during the holy month. Only the travellers would be exempted from the restriction.

He said that cheap bazaars would be in the shape of clusters of shops or ‘rehris’ or combinations of both while Ramazan Family Markets would be set up at the Punjab University Ground on Lower Mall, Shadman Market, Wahdat Colony Ground, Green Town and Model Town. Green Channels would be set up at Karim Block and Bund Road in Allama Iqbal Town, Shadman Colony and Ghalib Market in Data Ganj Bakhsh Town, Harbanspura in Shalimar Town, Shahdara in Ravi Town and Green Town in Nishtar Town.

Consumer committees would be constituted at the police station level to monitor the prices, he said.

The district Nazim said the CDG had fixed the maximum per kilogram retail prices of 14 essential commodities for the holy month as dates Rs24 to 29, basmati rice Rs23 to 27, gram pulse Rs21, gram flour Rs22, white grams Rs30, masoor pulse Rs31, mash pulse (washed) Rs36, moong pulse Rs24 to 28, sugar Rs19, red chilies Rs69, roti 150 grams Rs2 each, mutton Rs130 and beef Rs60.