AS different mafias continue making mockery of the writ
of the government with regard to availability of some
commodities and their pricing, the Federal Cabinet, which met in Islamabad on Tuesday, took notice of artificial shortage of petrol in the country as Prime Minister Imran Khan directed a set of actions to check the trend, including formation of raiding teams to ensure regular supplies within 48-72 hours. The cabinet also discussed actions being initiated on different fronts in the light of recommendations of the Sugar Commission and vowed to take the issue to the logical conclusion.
It is regrettable that taking advantage of the lenient posture of the government, some mafias are active to fleece consumers and after wheat and sugar crises, the country is facing shortage of petrol these days despite the fact that there was no shortage of the commodity. The shortage follows announcement of reduced rates of petroleum products for the domestic market in line with global trends indicating unwillingness of oil companies and distributors to pass on the relief to the consumers promptly. They earn huge profits on available stocks when prices are revised upward but are not ready to sell products when prices are revised downwards. The cabinet rightly noted that the Petroleum Ministry and OGRA have the necessary powers and authority to take action against those exploiting the situation but the question arises why they have not been exercising their powers promptly and without intervention by the cabinet. There was justification for taking punitive actions including suspension and cancellation of licenses of companies found not maintaining the mandatory stocks and supply to their outlets. Hopefully, the situation would normalize as has been anticipated by the Prime Minister who has ordered the Petroleum Ministry to ensure smooth and abundant supply of oil products within three days. It is also appreciable that the government has tasked different organizations and institutions to take action in a time-bound manner against machinations of the sugar mafia as has been highlighted by the Sugar Commission. However, the real concern of the masses is price of the sugar which is not coming down despite pinpointing of the illegal and unethical tactics used by the mafia to jack up prices.
A Committee headed by the Minister for Industry and Production has been constituted to determine the production cost of sugar and bring down its prices and it has to be seen when and what sort of relief is provided to the consumers as the Prime Minister has given an assurance that prices would be reduced in any case. The Commission had reviewed the cases of only nine mills due to paucity of time and resources but action is definitely warranted against all those involved in malpractices. In this background, the decision of the government to ask the FBR to review cases of remaining 88 mills as well is a step in the right direction and might help remove the impression of any political considerations in handling the issue. Red-tapism is an old problem but none of the governments in the past succeeded in tackling the issue satisfactorily. It is a routine that officials concerned sit on files for days, weeks and in some cases for months without fear of any accountability despite the fact that their slackness or deliberate delaying tactics often result in lost opportunities for the country, escalation of cost of projects and injustice to individuals and parties. This is despite the fact that such individuals can be taken to task easily in this age of computerization. The directions given by the Prime Minister for e-filing and e-tracking of files in ministries should be implemented at a fast pace for the sake of transparency and getting rid of red-tape. The cabinet approved recommendations of Dr Ishrat Hussain, Advisor for Institutional Reforms and Austerity on how to ensure quality manpower in government institutions, especially the recruitment of qualified people for the posts of heads of institutions. It is hoped that these recommendations would be given practical shape at the earliest as not to speak of quality manpower there are currently numerous institutions that are without regular or permanent head, affecting their performance and functioning badly.
