PM approves crackdown on sugar smuggling, profiteering

LAHORE: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday expressed strong anger over the increase in the prices of edibles, especially sugar, and approved a crackdown on commodities smuggling, hoarding and profiteering across the province.

He directed the Punjab government to initiate indiscriminate action against smuggling, hoarding and profiteering in Lahore and all the major cities of the province.

A nationwide action strategy was prepared at the meeting to end the smuggling of edible commodities, including sugar. The PM directed the provincial governments to deal with smugglers, hoarders and profiteers with an iron hand and punish them.

Shehbaz said he would personally monitor the performance of deputy commissioners and take action against those officers who would fail to end smuggling, illegal profiteering and hoarding in their districts. “People cannot be left at the mercy of smugglers, profiteers and hoarders,” he warned.

The PM also instructed Punjab Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi to take effective measures to control the price of sugar in the province. He suggested that the sugar seized from smugglers and hoarders could be supplied to the public at a government-fixed price. He asked the CM to meet the sugar mill owners and to take measures to stop an increase in sugar prices.

Special Assistant to PM Ahad Cheema, Punjab chief secretary, food secretary, IG Police Punjab and other officials attended the meeting.

Chairing another meeting, the PM said the journey of development started by the PMLN government in Punjab was intentionally stopped by the PTI government. “Revenge was taken from the people of Punjab for supporting the PMLN,” the PM regretted.

He said no new project was started in Lahore, while the projects started during the PMLN era were also kept at a standstill. He said during the last four years of the previous government, Punjab was entrusted to an incompetent and puppet chief minister.

Instead of focusing on development of Punjab, the post of chief minister was being used for political manipulation in the Federation, Shehbaz Sharif said and added that public welfare projects, which would have been completed by now and would reduce the hardships of people, were delayed for years. “All these ongoing projects should be completed as soon as possible,” he added.

The meeting was given a briefing about the project of Imamia Colony flyover. The PM ordered for completing the project as soon as possible. The meeting was also informed about the proposed project of Lahore-Sialkot Motorway Link Road for the convenience of people of Gujranwala. The PM directed the CM to form a three-member committee, which should present a briefing about the project in the next meeting.

Earlier, Shehbaz Sharif visited the Kalma Chowk Remodelling CBD Punjab Boulevard project site in Lahore and got a briefing about the project by the chief executive officer CBD Imran Amin and other senior officials. He was told that the project, which was started on Dec 4, 2022, was originally scheduled to be completed on June 2, 2023, with the cost of Rs4.2 billion; however, the project would be completed one week ahead of schedule, with no revision of PC1 and well within the allocated budget and estimates.

The PM was told that the Kalma underpass, which had a total length of 925m, had been remodelled, along with the Ali Zeb underpass, with a barrel length of 377 metres, and the CBD Quaid District, with a barrel length of 280 metres.

The road network, totalling 4.98 kms, has also been rehabilitated and the main Kalma underpass and allied roads, Ali Zaib Road with service lanes, were functional for traffic now.

During his visit, the PM ordered for hiring of a third-party technical validation consultant for the Kalma Chowk remodelling project and also ordered to complete upgradation of Walton Road in two months.

In addition, the entire Kalma underpass was opened for traffic on February 24, 2023, upon the instructions of the caretaker chief minister Punjab. All water supply, sewerage and drainage lines, and two wells falling under the project area, have been upgraded.

A water tank with wells at Saint Mary’s Park has also been constructed. The underpasses’ width, Ali Zeb Road width, Main Boulevard width, and Saint Mary’s Road width have been expanded for smooth flow of traffic.