Lahore: Price control magistrates conducted 413,538 inspections across Punjab during the last week to monitor prices of essential commodities, detecting 19,538 cases of profiteering and imposing fines amounting to Rs113.725 million.
Secretary Food Safety and Consumer Protection Dr Kiran Khurshid, while releasing the performance report of the Directorate General Enforcement, Price Control Magistrates (PCM) and Punjab Enforcement and Regulatory Authority (PERA), here on Wednesday, said 1,503 cases were also reported for failure to display official price lists.
She said 52 FIRs were registered during the operations and 377 people were arrested for profiteering and other violations.
During inspections specifically targeting bread prices, the price control teams conducted 70,461 inspections and detected 4,818 profiteering cases. Seven FIRs were registered, 86 people were arrested and fines of Rs722,000 were imposed.
Dr Kiran Khurshid said prices of chicken, basmati rice, mash, sugar, masoor, moong, flour bags, vegetable ghee, pulses, eggs, tomatoes, onions, potatoes and other essential commodities were also extensively checked.
She added that PERA teams also continued enforcement operations in markets from September 8 to 15, conducting 72,703 inspections. The operations detected 1,377 cases of profiteering, resulting in fines of Rs56.245 million. Twenty people were arrested and 32 business premises were sealed.
The secretary said market monitoring and enforcement operations would continue to ensure the availability of essential commodities at notified prices and curb profiteering.