SUKKUR: Administration officials sealed over a dozen warehouses and two factories in Sukkur, Ghotki, Dadu and Jamshoro districts on Thursday after finding hundreds of bags of sugar and flour hoarded up during raids.

The Mirpur Mathelo assistant commissioner raided godowns owned by traders Lal Chand and Ajeet Kumar in Jarwar area in Ghotki and sealed them after having found many bags of sugar and wheat stocked up.

In Salehpat town, the Sukkur district administration moved into action over growing public complaints against rising inflation and conducted raids on five godowns.

The officials found during raids 1,270 bags of sugar in Viky Kumar’s godowns, 350 sugar bags in Naresh Kumar’s godown, 100 bags of sugar and as many bags of wheat in Haresh Kumar’s godown and 80 bags of sugar and foreign cigarettes in Rajesh Kumar’s godown.

The godowns’ owners managed to flee and their properties were sealed.

According to the district administration, a case would be registered against owners of the godowns where the huge stock of sugar and wheat bags had been found.

DADU: Jamshoro additional deputy commissioner-II Shaukat Ujjan sealed two factories in Kotri industrial area after finding 11,000 bags of sugar stocked in them during raids on Thursday.

Ujjan told journalists that the factories had been sealed and all sugar bags would be distributed among the poor at official rate. The raids were conducted after receiving secret information about the hoarded stocks, he said.

Assistant commissioner Mohammad Ali Baloch also raided different places and shops in the city and found 500 bags of sugar and 800 bags of flour hoarded by different traders. The official also imposed Rs29,000 fine on shopkeepers for selling the commodities at exorbitant price.

Published in Dawn, February 21st, 2020