LHC halts sugar sale in Ramazan Bazaars

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Friday directed the provincial government to halt the sale of sugar in Sasta Ramazan Bazaars and ensure availability of the sweetener at Rs85 per kg at local markets.

A bench of the LHC was hearing a case pertaining to long queues of sugar buyers in Ramazan Bazaars.

A law officer informed the court that local markets faced a shortage of sugar due to its sale in Ramazan Bazaars.

“Under what law all sugar was sold in Ramazan Bazaars?” the court asked, calling for the commodity to be sold to the common man at Rs85 per kilogramme.

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Setting up Ramazan and Jumma Bazaars meant the administration has failed to control prices at local markets, the court observed. The law officer said these Bazaars were meant to provide relief to the poor.

The court said that this is not the matter of sugar only but of all essential commodities. “The absence of a mechanism to fix prices of essential food items is the cause of inflation,” it noted.

The Lahore commissioner said Ramazan Bazaars greatly benefited the poor. The poor were turned into beggars, the bench retorted, asking why food items are not available at cheaper rates at citizens’ doorstep.