Strict action will be taken against those fuel station owners for attempting to create artificial shortage due to possible reduction in prices of petroleum products, said Punjab Minister for Food and Cabinet Price Control Committee Chairman Bilal Yasin while presiding a meeting of Cabinet Price Control Committee at Civil Secretariat on Monday. Minister for Agriculture Dr Farrukh Javed, provincial assembly members, additional chief secretary, secretaries of Agriculture, Industry, Livestock, Food, Health and Information departments were present on the occasion. The meeting was told that the authorities were raiding against those selling items at higher rates. It was told that 200 profiteers were arrested and imposed heavy fine during last week.
The secretary industry told the meeting that at present, petrol is available at 95 percent petrol pumps in the city and the buyers are not facing any difficulty. The provincial minister was told that 250,000 litre petrol is being provided to petrol pumps on daily basis. Petrol pump owners have been directed to maintain stock of petrol on the night of January 31 so that petrol should be available on February 1 at new prices in abundance. The minister was told that strict action will be taken against petrol pump owners for creating artificial shortage of petrol and their petrol pumps will be sealed.
The meeting was told that due to strict monitoring, LPG prices have reduced considerably and people were relieved.
Yasin directed that inspection should be made more effective for taking the profiteers to task and no negligence should be shown in this regard. He said that all out steps should be taken for providing relief of reduction in prices of petrol to the people. He said that flour is available at fixed prices in abundance and there is no possibility of increase in the price of flour or shortage of wheat in the near future in the province. The food minister disclosed that the Punjab government with the cooperation of federal government is making arrangements for exporting extra more than 100,000 metric tonne wheat for earning foreign exchange. He said that the government has fixed the prices of 20kg flour bag at Rs 760 by reducing its prices from Rs785 from December 30, 2014. He directed the administration that besides petrol, immediate steps should be taken for decreasing the prices of tea and mobile oil.