LAHORE: Chief Secretary Abdullah Khan Sumbal on Tuesday directed all deputy commissioners to intensify a crackdown on profiteers and hoarders for ensuring the availability of food items at fixed rates.

He issued this directive while presiding over a meeting held at the Civil Secretariat to review prices and availability of eatables, especially vegetables, flour, ghee and pulses.

Mr Sumbal said providing relief to the people from inflation was the priority of the government, and administrative officers must play their role to ensure stability in the prices of essential commodities.

He mentioned that the home department had been assigned the responsibility to improve the system of price magistracy.

The chief secretary said the sale of commodities at higher than the fixed rates would not be tolerated in any case and the performance regarding price control measures would be reviewed regularly.

He asked the deputy commissioners to visit fruit and vegetable markets in the districts and keep a check on prices as well as the supply and demand of the commodities.

Giving a briefing at the meeting, Industries Secretary Dr Hamid Javed Qazi said there were ample stocks of wheat and sugar in the province and the prices of ghee were being monitored on a daily basis.

Published in Dawn, October 5th, 2022