PESHAWAR: Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Mahmood Khan while expressing his satisfaction on the steps being taken by the administration for price control of food commodities in the province, has directed the concerned authorities to make these measures more effective and result oriented.
He has further directed the administration to keep vigilant eyes on hoarding and black marketing, and to take strict action based on intelligence information against the elements involved in hoarding and black marketing. Mahmood Khan also directed the relevant authorities that joint teams comprising of district administration, food authority and other concerned entities should be formed for inspections, and separate inspections by different entities should be stopped to avoid inconvenience to the shopkeepers.
He was chairing a meeting regarding price control of food commodities here the other day. Provincial Food Minister, Atif Khan, Chief Secretary Dr Kazim Niaz, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Amjad Ali Khan, Administrative Secretaries of the concerned departments and other senior officials attended the meeting.
The meeting reviewed in detail the latest situation of prices of various food items in the province as well as the gap between wholesale and retail prices of food items in the market. The meeting was informed that according to independent sources prices of most of the food items as well as the overall gap between the wholesale and retail prices of food items in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa remained on lower side as compared to other provinces during the last ten days.
It was told that according to the reports of Bureau of Statistics, the gap between the wholesale and retail price of sugar in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa during the last 10 days was only 2%, which was the lowest as compared to other provinces; and similarly, gap between the wholesale and retail prices of flour in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa reduced from 3% to 2%, while gap between the wholesale and retail prices of chicken in the province reduced from 9% to 6%.
The meeting was given a detailed briefing on the administrative steps being taken to control food prices in the province and it was informed that from 1st to 9th September 2021, more than 18,000 units were inspected against, hoarding / black marketing, over pricing, non display of price lists, adulteration etc. adding that fines worth Rs. 3,832,000 were imposed, 304 no of F.I.Rs were lodged, 716 units were sealed and 3481 units were issued warnings. The meeting was told that 766 inspections were carried out to control over-pricing during the period, fines of Rs.850,000, 45 no of FIRs lodged and 74 shops were sealed for over pricing.
Similarly, fines of Rs 250,000 were imposed, 43 FIRs were lodged and 72 shops were sealed for non-display of price list during the period. The meeting was informed that 52 farmers markets are fully operational across the province in which a turnover of about Rs. 43.14 million was recorded during the month of August.
The meeting was further informed that during the current month, 82 complaints were lodged on the Pakistan Citizen Portal against over pricing, out of which 60% complaints were resolved adding that public satisfaction level in the province with regard to redressal of complaints against over pricing remained 76% on the Citizen Portal. It was decided in the meeting the week meeting on price control would be held on regular basis under the chairmanship of the Chief Minister.