LAHORE:The Punjab government has introduced a new mechanism for fixing prices of essential commodities to remove rate disparities among districts. Under the revised formula, prices will be determined according to supply sources, distance from markets, production seasons and grading of items.
Chairing a meeting at the Civil Secretariat on Monday, Chief Secretary Zahid Akhtar Zaman said fixing inflated auction rates in markets amounts to exploitation of consumers. A five-year comparison presented in the meeting showed that prices during the current Ramazan have remained lower than last year. He directed DCs to personally monitor auction processes, observing that high wholesale rates make public relief in retail markets impossible. He added that there would be no compromise on supply, quality and security at Ramazan bazaars. The briefing informed that 421 Nigehban Ramazan Dastarkhwans are operational across the province, serving over 120,000 people. On Sunday alone, more than 821,000 citizens visited Ramazan bazaars where over 500,000 kg commodities were sold, saving consumers Rs6.3 million collectively.
