LAHORE, July 22: In a visible shift in the strategy for controlling prices, the special magistrates have started awarding jail terms to profiteers and hoarders as raiding parties are being threatened with strikes and demonstrations by the traders.

“The shift in focus is aimed at deterring the exploiters, especially owners of shopping malls and big provisional stores who would not mind paying the fine (a maximum of Rs15,000),” one of the magistrates told Dawn on Saturday. “This will send a strong message to the violators.”

This had been the case even when the government had banned lavish wedding feasts and the violators had to pay Rs300,000 fine.

The well-off people would arrange wedding feasts at five-star hotels after paying the administration the fine amount in advance, making a mockery of the law. Then the government had to amend the law for introducing jail term to check the violations.

On Saturday, 72 shopkeepers were arrested in 43 raids and Rs275,500 were recovered from them as fine. Known shopping mall, Pace, was also fined Rs30,000 on two counts.

Special magistrate Ahmad Ali Kamboh awarded one-month imprisonment and Rs15,000 fine to a known Multan Road butcher, Ghaffar.

Javed, a fruit vendor in Data Ganj Bakhsh town, was handed down 15-day jail term as well as Rs15,000 fine by special magistrate Tanveer Ahmad Warraich.

Officials say the strike threats would not deter them from continuing the price-control campaign. They believe that trade unions would soon come to terms with the authorities and the ensuing negotiations would bind shopkeepers to go by the decision to be accepted by their leaders.

They claim that the anti-profiteering campaign has started giving results as prices are coming down, especially in those areas where raids have been conducted.

The general public is appreciating the efforts being made to provide them relief, they add.

TAX WAIVED: The Punjab government has waived off agriculture tax, development cess, local rate and `abiana’ from 397 drought-hit villages, which have also been declared as calamity affected.