LAHORE - The traders and shopkeepers have claimed that district administration is forcing the retailers to sell Dal Masoor at Rs 105 per kilogram against its actual rate of Rs 132 per kg, Dal Mash (Dhuli) at Rs 120 against the price of Rs 145, Dal Moong at Rs 135 against Rs 145, White Chana (mota) at Rs 66 per kg against Rs 120 and White Chana (Bareek) at Rs 58 per kg against the actual cost of Rs 87 per kg.
They said that either the govt should make upward revision in its control list or should ensure provision of these goods at lesser rates than their actual cost. They urged the Punjab government to ensure provision of food items including pulses, vegetable and meat as per its control list.
During a meeting with LCCI President Sohail Lashari, they said that government should maintain supplies instead of forcing the traders to sell their goods below the prices of their purchase. How a businessman can sell his goods at lesser than its actual prices, they questioned.
They said that the government would have to bridge demand-supply gap to overcome the issue of price-hike as the existing mechanism of implementation of unrealistic prices would not work at all as businessmen would prefer closure of businesses instead of generating huge losses on daily basis. LCCI president Sohail Lasahari urged the district coordination officer to immediately stop arrests and registration of FIRs against retailers on this pretext to enable them to continue their businesses with peace of mind.
He said that the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry discourages illegal profiteering and would supplement all government efforts aimed at weeding out this menace but at the same time it would resist all measures aimed at harassing genuine and honest businessmen. He said that the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry had also received complaints that the retailers are being harassed and forced to sell food items as per the control list wherein the quoted rates have no relation to the actual costs.