‘Govt introducing web portal against artificial price-hike’

MULTAN: Commissioner Imran Sikandar Baloch has said the Punjab government has decided to introduce an online application “Qeemat Punjab” against artificial price hike and black marketing.

The citizens would be allotted special numbers to register their complaints on the web portal against black marketing in their respective districts. The web portal would forward complaints to the police of the area concerned and price control magistrate for stern action against those responsible for price hike and black marketing. The commissioner said this during a meeting held in connection with adopting measures to curb price hike and black marketing here on Tuesday.

He said the prime objective of launching the web portal was to take action against big hoarders and provide relief to the citizens. The government has decided to fix new rates of commodities before the arrival of Ramazan. The commissioner also directed the deputy commissioners to monitor black marketing and prices of commodities in markets. As many as 117 price control magistrates have been appointed in Multan. They have conducted 6,671 raids, registered 117 FIRs and arrested 58 persons and imposed Rs 252,100 fine.

kitchen gardening: Senior Vice-President of Multan Chamber of Commerce & Industry (MCCI) Khawaja Badar Munir has said that Pakistan is blessed with a variety of climatic and geographic regimes, which create diversified agro-ecological conditions suitable for growing almost all kinds of vegetables. People must promote kitchen gardening to produce hygienic and non-toxic vegetables to save themselves from different diseases like cancer and hepatitis.

Speaking at a one-day kitchen gardening help desk jointly organised by Smeda and MCCI, he said that people should utilise roofs, lawns, shades for this purpose and it can be made profit-oriented and MCCI would provide guidance besides help in financial assistance from banks and technical assistance from agriculture university. Muhammad Nawaz Sharif University of Agriculture Prof Nabeel Ahmed Ikram said that in the modern age of urban life and industrialisation, the land for cultivation is continuously decreasing and hence more problems for getting fresh vegetables, grains and other edible commodities is also arising.