HAFIZABAD-As many as 2,300 Madni Dastarkhawan will serve meals to the poor and destitute at sehr and iftar timings across the province during the holy month of Ramazan.
This was stated by Coordinator to CM Punjab for Madni Dastarkhawan Haji Muhammad Nawaz during an address to a ceremony here the other day.
He called upon the well-to-do people to extend their active cooperation in setting up such dastarkhawans at sehr and iftar timings to get the blessings of Almighty Allah. In this connection, he addressed a gathering of NGOs, members of civil society and the district administration and called upon them to associate themselves in this noble task.
Deputy Commissioner Saleha Saeed told the coordinator that like previous years, 13 such dastarkhawan would be established at different places in two tehsils of the district with the cooperation of local organisations. She said that efforts would be made to establish such food points at government hospitals, bus stands and railway stations.
Moreover, no restaurant and eateries would be allowed to function during the fasting hours and sanctity of holy month of Ramazan would be maintained at all costs.
Meanwhile, the district administration made arrangements to setup four Ramzan Bazaars in the district which would start functioning from May 14 (today), the DC said.
Addressing a meeting of officers and traders, she said that these bazaars would be established at Hafizabad, Pindi Bhattian, Jalalpur Bhattian, Sukheke Mandi where all the essential commodities would be made available to the consumers at subsidised prices. She further said that 11 agriculture fair price shops would be setup in these bazaars where all edibles would be made available to the consumers at wholesale rate while some items would be made available to the consumers at Rs20 per kg, less than the market prices. Furthermore, sugar would be sold at these bazaars at Rs10 per kg, lower than the market price.
She said that Special Price Control Magistrate had been directed to keep vigilant eye on traders and take stern action against the profiteers.
In the meanwhile, Deputy Director Food Authority Komal Adnan directed the shopkeepers particularly those dealing in edibles to desist from selling substandard food stuff otherwise they would be taken to task. She said that the food authority had launched a crackdown and no one would be allowed to play with the lives of consumers by the selling substandard and spurious commodities. She told the media that two shops on Kolo Road had been sealed for manufacturing and selling drinks which were found injurious to human health.
She urged the owners of the restaurants and eateries to prepare food items according to the set standard of the food authority and obtain license forthwith. “They will be dealt with sternly otherwise,” she warned.