LAHORE: The Punjab Karyana (retailers) Association office-bearers, in a meeting with the price control department secretary on Sunday, expressed their reservations regarding the price fixation mechanism and requested a review of the recommendations made in this regard.

The association representatives led by president Arif Gujjar briefed Secretary Dr Kiran Khurshid about the demand, supply and other factors influencing the sugar and flour prices in the open market.

Gujjar stressed that the price control department should take the stakeholders in confidence and fix rates after identifying wholesale prices and carriage charges for different cities.

He alleged that the corrupt magistracy system compelled small karyana merchants to grease government officials palms. “Those who pay bribes, increase rates as per their will and erode relief for the public,” he observed.

He told the secretary that the deputy commissioners were in a rat race to keep prices low, without saving the small traders from the corrupt monitoring machinery at the grassroots level.

The association president said they had also held a meeting with the chief secretary and he too agreed to remove the administrative loopholes.

“The traders are ready to fully support the government and give relief to the masses by ensuring the maximum possible supply of basic essential items on fixed rates, if they are saved from paying bribes to the government functionaries and their touts,” he said.

Dr Khurshid said communication between the government institutions and traders would be improved and karyana merchants’ concerns be allayed.

She stressed that uninterrupted supply of essential food items to the common man must be ensured.

She said the performance of price control magistrates would be monitored on a daily basis, and the delivery of quality commodities in the open market would be improved. Punjab Food Director General Amjad Hafeez also attended the meeting.

Meanwhile, the price control department continued the crackdown on profiteers and officials conducted 546,672 inspections during the last 24 hours across the province.

A total of 13,480 profiteers were fined, while 158 individuals arrested.

During inspections conducted at 43,941 locations to check flour prices, 1,055 profiteers were fined and 10 arrested.

During the inspections of 25,285 chicken shops, 649 profiteers were fined and 17 arrested. Similarly, during checking of 15,811 hotels and tandoors, 502 profiteers were fined and eight others arrested.

At 15,797 locations checked for sugar prices, 571 profiteers were fined and 12 arrested.

A spokesperson stated the crackdown against hoarding and profiteering was going on, while the performance of price control magistrates was being monitored through geo-taging.

Published in Dawn, September 29th, 2025