Crackdown on hoarders ordered

LAHORE:Minister for Trade and Industries Mian Aslam Iqbal has directed for expediting crackdown on hoarders and profiteers and said that government will go to every extent to protect the rights of people as public interest is supreme.

In a statement issued here on Monday, Aslam Iqbal said the district administration and line departments should efficiently work to ensure sale of essential items on fixed rates. There is no room for any negligence in this regard, he added. He said black sheep exploiting people through artificial price hike and hoarding will be dealt with an iron hand. He directed the industries department to proactively work to prevent any variation in weighing and measuring and price control magistrates should remain in markets to check the prices of essential items. The elements exploiting the consumers through overpricing deserve to be jailed, he added.

Meanwhile, price control magistrates have conducted raids on around 13 thousand shops on November 23 and 24, and 2,439 violations were found with regard to overpricing and 241 were arrested while 283 cases were registered. Fines worth Rs 43 lakh, 30 thousand and 800 have been imposed.