Punjab Chief Secretary Azam Suleman Khan has said that reservations of traders’ community about price determination would be addressed to ensure sufficient supplies of daily-use items at the prices fixed by the government.
He stated this during his meeting with a four-member delegation of All-Pakistan Anjuman-e-Tajran led by Secretary General Muhammad Naeem Mir, at Civil Secretariat here on Friday.
Naeem Mir told the chief secretary that traders were kept out of the process of price determination that took place at deputy commissioner’s office and they have reservations over it.
The chief secretary assured that in future deputy commissioners and traders’ representatives would work together to fix prices of commodities and for this purpose a joint meeting would be held after every 15 days.
He mentioned that the rate list should be issued to media after fixing prices with consensus and divisional commissioners would act as appellate authority in case grievances of traders are not addressed at deputy commissioner level.
Azam Suleman said that the government would allay concerns of traders regarding price control mechanism. All-Pakistan Anjuman-e-Tajran’ demand to bifurcate price control and price determination committees was accepted in the meeting.
The chief secretary said that traders’ complaints about government departments, especially Punjab food and revenue authorities, can now be presented to divisional commissioners.
All-Pakistan Anjuman Tajran Secretary General Naeem Mir thanked the chief secretary and assured full cooperation to the Punjab government on behalf of the traders’ community.
Additional Chief Secretary Momin Agha and Deputy Commissioner Danish Afzal were also present on this occasion.
