LAHORE, Nov 13: Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif says the administration has to fully mobilise for overcoming a scourge of price hike to ensure provision of essential items to the common man at reasonable prices.

Presiding over a meeting on the provision of essential items at reasonable prices here on Saturday, the chief minister said the provision of relief to the people was the government’s responsibility and it would fulfill it at all hazards.

Mr Shahbaz ordered strict action against those who were indulged in adulteration of medicines and eatable items. He directed the chief secretary to take steps for maintaining the prices at a suitable level.

The chief minister ordered that selling of sugar should be ensured at Rs72 per kg throughout the province and a crackdown should be launched against profiteers and hoarders.

“The price control and monitoring system has become ineffective and the trend of adulteration in essential items has increased alarmingly”, he said.

Mr Shahbaz said the common man rightly questioned about such a system in which the elite enjoyed all facilities and privileges but the poor people were facing lots of hardships.

He said the provision of relief and the welfare of common man should be a top priority of the government. The chief minister said the genuine profit was the right of traders, but the exploitation of consumers would not be allowed at all.He said the adulteration had become a menace and rooting out this social evil was the need of the hour.Mr Shahbaz said that during their previous era, a vigorous campaign had been launched against spurious drugs which yielded positive results.

He said those involved in the monkey business of spurious drugs were playing with the lives of innocent people and strict action should be taken against the perpetrators of this heinous crime without any discrimination.

The chief minister said there were medicine companies having good reputation and honest persons associated with this business should be encouraged, but the black sheep be identified and punished strictly.

He said the power loadshedding was badly affecting the agriculture sector in the country and putting further burden on farmers under the present circumstances was not appropriate.

Mr Shahbaz directed the agriculture secretary to contact the federal government and advised it not to impose GST on fertilizers. “If this tax was not levied earlier it should not be imposed now,” he said.

Elected representatives, the chief secretary and other participants put forth various proposals with regard to eradication of adulteration and provision of essential items to the people at reasonable prices.

The Lahore division commissioner informed the meeting about the details regarding lifting of sugar from the Karachi port and its supply to various areas.

Provincial Agriculture Minister Ahmad Ali Aulakh, Senator Pervaiz Rashid, legislators, additional chief secretary, home secretary, Punjab IGP, secretaries industries, agriculture, labour, health, law, DCO, the vice-chairman of the Punjab price control and supply board also attended the meeting.