TAXILA: The local administration swung into action against hoarders and profiteers and sealed their outlets, imposed fines besides registering cases against them.
In Hassanabdal, Assistant Commissioner Zunaira Jalil visited gowdowns of food items, especially sugar, and checked their inventory and stock record. During the process, a fine of Rs40,000 was imposed on two sugar stockists for not maintaining the record.
In Pindigheb, officials of local administration raided a gowdown in Muslim Market on a tip-off that huge quantity of daily commodities had been illegally stocked there.
During search, 200 bags of sugar (50 kg each), 215 bags of rice carrying 50 kg and 900 packs of ghee were recovered.
The gowdown was sealed by the officials.In Hazro, Assistant Commissioner Shagufta Jabeen visited various markets and bazaars and imposed a fine of Rs5,000 on a restaurant owner for selling roti at higher than official rate.
Filling stations illegally operating in the area and selling fuel without precautionary measures were fined and one of them sealed.
In Taxila, Assistant Commissioner Shahzad Mehboob raided markets and imposed fines on vegetable, fruit and grocery sellers for overcharging.
He also visited the rest area of Hakla on Islamabad-Peshawar Motorway (M-1) near Taxila and imposed fines on different outlets for selling food items at exorbitant rates.
Separately, in a bid to discourage sale of spurious, counterfeit drugs in Hassanabdal, deputy drug controller Umer Zaib Abbasi sealed one clinic under the Punjab Healthcare Commission Act 2010.
Published in Dawn, November 2nd, 2020
