Ordinance promulgated in Sindh against profiteering, hoarding

Karachi: The Sindh government has promulgated ‘The Sindh Essential Commodities Price Control and Prevention Hoarding Ordinance-2023”’ to beef up the penal mechanism against profiteering and hoarding, especially during the holy month of Ramazan.

The ordinance has come into effect all over the province with an immediate effect after Sindh Governor Karam Khan Tessori signed it, it was learnt on Friday.

The ordinance, the first one of the continuing regime of Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, mainly imparts magistracy powers to the price control officers of the government to take stern action against people involved in profiteering and hoarding. It has also raised the fines to be imposed by officials against hoarding and illegally jacking up the prices of essential products.

The ordinance is part of a three-pronged strategy of the Sindh government to tackle the issue of massive inflation and hikes in the prices of essential products during the holy month of Ramazan.

Apart from the ordinance, the government has planned to organise makeshift special discount markets in every town of the province, while some 7.8 million low-income families will get special assistance of Rs2,000 each to enable them to purchase wheat flour.

A day earlier, the CM had expressed gratitude to the governor for quickly signing the ordinance for its immediate promulgation. He said that in the later stage, the ordinance would be passed by the Sindh Assembly.

Later, chairing a meeting with the commissioners posted in different divisions of the province via video link, Chief Secretary Dr Muhammad Sohail Rajput said the price control officers had been given powers to impose fines, search, seize, and auction the products involved in profiteering and hoarding.

He said the fines against retailers and traders involved in profiteering and price hike in the province had been increased to Rs100,000. He said the authorized officials had been empowered to seal a shop for 30 days and auction its products while taking action against profiteering and hoarding. Those involved in profiteering and hoarding might face imprisonment also.

He told the meeting that under the new ordinance, the officials of the Sindh Labour and Agriculture departments would work under the deputy commissioners in the districts for taking action against profiteers.

The chief secretary said that a vigorous campaign to impose a stringent price control mechanism would be conducted to safeguard the consumers from profiteering and unauthorised hikes in the prices of essential products during the holy month.

Soon after signing the ordinance, the governor visited the Empress Market area in Saddar and warned the retailers that they had to face stern action from the government in case of profiteering during the holy month. He himself checked the prices of essential products being sold in the Saddar area.

Profiteers fined

Karachi’s district administration took action against profiteers in the city on the second day of Ramazan on

Friday, imposing more than Rs1 million in fines on 170 shopkeepers.

The deputy commissioners and assistant commissioners of all the subdivisions of the city checked if price lists issued by the commissioner office were displayed in shops and markets. As many as three shops were sealed in District West for flouting the official rates prescribed by the Commissioner Office.

In addition to the sealed shops, 32 poultry sellers, 11 grocery sellers, 16 flour sellers, and 34 milk retailers were fined for violating official price lists. The fines ranged from Rs23,000 to over Rs0.7 million across the city’s seven districts.