LHC seeks report on supplies and stocks of sugar in Punjab

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) while hearing a petition on sugar crisis summoned a report from the Director Food Punjab about the supplies and available stocks of the commodity, ARY News reported on Tuesday.

Chief Justice LHC Mamoon Rashid Sheikh heard a petition filed by Azhar Siddique advocate.

In his plea, petitioner claimed that price of sugar was on the verge of soaring to 90 rupees per kilogram.

“An artificial crisis is being cooked up to create shortage of sugar and jack up the price”, petition said.

If export of sugar not stopped, it will become out of the access of common man, petition said while pleading for imposing a ban on export of the commodity.

Earlier, a petition filed in the Lahore High Court sought forensic audit of sugar stocks in sugar mills.

“The sugar mills have failed to submit details of their stocks in court, despite the court order,” according to the petition.

The government of Punjab didn’t act so far against the sugar mafia, the plea said.

The petitioner also pleaded to the court to issue an order to the government for action against the mills selling sugar on exorbitant rates.

The price of sugar, an essential ingredient in Pakistani cuisine, witnessed 10 rupees per kilogram hike in a week recently, the wholesale rate of the commodity rose from Rs64 to Rs74 per KG and an acute shortage of the commodity surfaced across the country.