LAHORE: As the law-enforcement agencies have already begun laying their hands on sugar ‘mafia’, the Punjab cabinet on Thursday accorded its approval to introduce two new laws to block the way of the ‘mafia’ involved in price manipulation of the sweetener and other commodities. “Mafia is a smaller word for the gang led by Jahangir Tareen and Hamza Shahbaz identified by the FIA as several benami accounts and billions of rupees money laundering have been identified,” said Adviser to Prime Minister on Accountability and Interior Shahzad Akbar at a news conference at chief minister’s secretariat.

Flanked by Mr Akbar, Chief Minister Usman Buzdar told the media that the Punjab cabinet had approved The Punjab Sugar Supply Chain Management Order 2021 and The Prevention of Speculations in Essential Commodities Ordinance 2021 – to control the price volatility and ensure that the people of Punjab get essential eatables at official rates.

Acknowledging that people were bearing the brunt of the government’s failure in controlling prices, Buzdar said the new laws would fully regulate the rates of sugar, wheat, flour, edible oil, pulses, rice and other daily-use items by ensuring that no commodity be hoarded for creating an artificial shortage.

He said the laws would also be effective in taking action against satta agents– speculative pricing players.

The chief minister said Punjab Sugar Supply Chain Management Order 2021 would completely regulate the sugar sector from its production, supply and pricing. He said the order would require that sugar mills and sugar dealers’ godowns would be registered to control the mafia. Under the order, he said, no factory, wholesale dealer or any other dealer be able to stock more than 2.5 metric tonnes sugar. For stocking more than the capped quantity of sugar, the dealers would be required to take permission from the cane commissioner and the deputy commissioner concerned. “No unregistered dealer will be allowed to sell and purchase sugar,” he added.

Under the order, he said, the sugar mills and dealers would be required to show their whole records to the cane commissioner.

The PM’s adviser said the sugar mafia was now planning to enormously increase prices in Ramazan.

To a question about Broadsheet Commission report, Mr Akbar said the report had reached the prime minister and would be placed before the federal cabinet in its next meeting. “The cabinet will decide whether the commission report be made public,” he said.

Published in Dawn, March 26th, 2021