The Lahore administration is tightening the noose around the sugar mafia and has issued detention orders for two of the four sugar brokers involved in the artificial hike in the price of the commodity.
According to a private TV channel on Sunday, citing its sources that four brokers were involved in manipulating the prices of sugar in the province.
Acting swiftly on the intelligence report, the city administration has decided to come down hard on the sugar mafia and ordered for the house arrest of two brokers identified as Shahzad Faisal and Junaid Butt for 30 days.
The TV channel informed that the report, prepared by the intelligence agencies, has identified four big brokers who were involved in the price spike. Among them, two have already been taken into custody, teh report added.
Lahore deputy commissioner has issued orders of house arrest of two other brokers.
The house arrest orders of broker Shahzad Faisal, s/o Allah Rakha, r/o DHA Phase V, Lahore; and another broker Junaid Butt, s/o Riaz Butt, r/o Tauheed Park, Multan Road, Lahore have already been issued.
According to source report, both the brokers have been involved in hiking sugar price by creating artificial shortage of the commodity and spreading rumours.
The house arrest order was issued under Section III of Public Ordinance, 1960 in the light of all documentary proofs.
Both the brokers will be kept in house arrest under the watch of Central Jail, Kot Lakhpat superintendent.
A copy of house detention orders has been sent to the home department, additional chief secretary, Lahore commissioner, Lahore CCPO, Punjab IG and IG Jails.
Meanwhile, as many as seven warehouses were sealed off and 2,321 hoarded sacks of sugar were recovered during a crackdown launched by the Bahawalnagar district administration on Sunday.
The authorities have launched a crackdown to curb the artificial shortage of sugar which caused the rates of the commodity to go further up.
The administration sealed off seven warehouses and recovered 2,321 sacks of sugar worth more than Rs20 million.
Furthermore, 19 people were arrested on charges of hoarding and selling the sugar at excessive rates.
Meanwhile, the district administration Gujranwala continued crackdown on hoarders causing artificial shortage of sugar and fined dozens of wholesalers to the tune to Rs210,000.
The administration also sealed off many warehouses on charges of stocking sugar illegally.
The assistant commissioners and magistrates of Gujranwala set out on the streak to restrict commodity hoarding on the directives of the deputy commissioner.
Some 14 wholesale dealers were booked by the authorities and a collective fine of Rs210,000 slapped on many found involved.
It is to be noted that Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar has ordered the authorities concerned to take stern action against sugar hoarders across the province.
Chairing a high-level meeting here in Lahore, CM Usman Buzdar directed Punjab Minister for Industries and Commerce Mian Aslam Iqbal to speed up the crackdown on sugar hoarders in the province.
He also ordered to ensure the availability of sugar in markets to the general public at govt fixed rates.
The chief minister also asked Mian Aslam Iqbal to take steps for the early start of sugarcane crushing season 2021-22.
