SIALKOT, June 7: Around 3.3 million people residing in the district will be hardly benefited from the government’s policy of providing low-price essentials to citizens through utility stores as there was only one such outlet here.

The sole utility store which is supposed to cater for the urban as well as rural population of the district is located at city’s Shahabpura Road.

In his budget speech, the finance state minister had announced a plan pertaining to sale of daily commodities on subsidised rates through all utility stores, besides establishment of more outlets at tehsil level.

Concerned circles have pointed out that the only utility store in the district was obviously insufficient for its population as there were no utility stores at Daska, Sambrial and Pasrur tehsils.

They urged the government to establish more utility stores in urban and rural areas of the district as there would be great rush at the single outlet in case of shortage of essentials, resulting in hardships, especially for women and elderly people.

Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Dr Nauman Idrees Butt, expressing concern over the situation, urged the government to take immediate steps so that common people could be benefited from its policy.

Case: The Daska Saddar police registered a case against four police officials for conducting wrong investigation of a narcotics case after more than a year.

Inspector Azam, the then SHO of Daska City police station, Inspector Suhail Tarar, the then SHO of Daska Saddar police station, Sub-Inspector Munawar Husain and ASI Tariq Mahmood arrested Asif, Aftab Shahid, etc., on May 27 with 49 kilograms of contraband.

The alleged narcotics dealers approached the Lahore High Court submitting that the police implicated them in a false case. On the court orders, a special team comprising two senior police officers conducted an inquiry and found the four officials guilty. In the light of the inquiry report, police registered a case, with no arrest.