TAXILA, (Parliament Times): Deputy Commissioner Rawalpindi Hassan Waqar Cheema on Wednesday has said that as many as 86 shopkeepers were booked while fine worth Rs 9,694,200 on shopkeepers for illegal profiteering and violating official price list in Rawalpindi district during the last three months. He was talking to newsmen after visiting mega flour center in Taxila on Saturday. Mr Cheema has added that during crackdown against illegal profiteers and violators of official price list in the district as many as 86 shopkeepers were booked underprice act in Rawalpindi district during last three months. He said during the last three months, as many as 85,504 surprise checks were carried out by the price magistrates to tame illegal profiteers and violators of price list by the price magistrates in all six tehsils of the district.
Mr Cheema has said that to check hoarding and illegal profiteering during the holy month of Ramzan, the number of price magistrates would also be increased in a bid to provide relief to the masses from artificial price hikes during the holy month of Ramzan. He informed that so far 46368 bags of flour have been distributed across the district during the last three months. He said that 6276 flour bags distributed in Gujar Khan, 9494 in Rawalpindi Saddar, 2899 in Rawalpindi Cantt,4546 in tehsil Kahuta, 2473 in Kallar Syedan, 2122in Murree, 5955 in Taxila and 510 in Kahuta.
He said that around 0.5 million deserving households get over 1.44 million free flour bags across the district during the holy month of Ramadan. Responding to a question, he said that 10 mega flour sale points are established in 8 tehsils of district where as many as 76 distribution counters are activated to facilitate the masses. He said that separate counters for senior citizens as well as special persons are also established in these mega centers. He said that around 5 thousand bags per day are being provided at these centers. Mr Cheema revealed that the Punjab government launched a program to distribute 30kgs of “free flour” to 1.8 million households during the holy month of Ramadan, with a subsidy of Rs53 billion. The DC said that by using technology in the process of distribution of flour, vulnerable and poor people will be able to get relief packages with ease in a transparent manner. Responding to a question, he said that besides mega centers, as many as 232 trucking points had been established across the district for this purpose. Free flour bags would be distributed among the deserving people as per the instructions of the Punjab government, Mr Cheema said. Responding to a question, he said that eligible families who are not registered with BISP can go to the nearest office for registration and become entitled to the relief package within 24 hours.
