Field officers asked to control prices

LAHORE: In order to maintain stability in the prices of food stuff and to control adulteration and hoarding, field officers should personally come forward and visit fields for the purpose and no negligence in this regard will be accepted.

This was stated by Chief Secretary Azam Suleman while addressing a meeting of all administrative secretaries in Civil Secretariat here on Wednesday. He said provision of relief to the general public is our basic responsibility.

He directed the administrative officers to hold meetings with the District Price Magistrates on daily basis and to revivify Price Control Committees at Tehsil levels with a view to ensure the identical prices in Districts.

Azam Suleman directed the officers to take action against mafias indulged in adulteration and no leniency should be showed towards them as provision of healthy and pure food stuff is our top responsibility. He said that all other relevant departments should work together with Punjab Food Authority for the purpose. Chief Secretary was told in a meeting that 4,000 locations have been identified so far to build the new government godowns in Punjab.

To stop the smuggling of food items, interior department was directed to work with other agencies by establishing close liaison with them.

imilarly, the Divisional Commissioners were directed to keep close coordination with the custom officials in their respective areas for the above said purpose.

Keeping in view the honour of the Courts, all relevant officers were directed to ensure their presence in the Courts whenever they were called in various cases for assisting the Courts in provision of relief to the general public.

The meeting also reviewed the pending pension cases of various departments and it was decided that all such cases will be disposed of at the earliest.