The residents of many major cities of South Punjab have left in a bitter taste as the shopkeepers have stopped selling the sugar.

Shopkeepers in Rahim Yar Khan, Khanewal and Muzaffargarh have stopped selling the sugar.

According to shopkeepers, they could not sell sugar as per government rate of Rs70 per kg after purchasing it at Rs80 per kg from the sugar mills. As a result, they have stopped selling the sugar and people are finding it hard to add some sweetness in their meals.

The citizens heavily criticised the government’s price control policy and said the government was hapless in front of sugar mafia and the people are left at the mercy of the mafias.

Rahim Yar Khan’s Additional Commissioner Revenue Dr Jehanzaib Hussain said the administration would not allow shopkeepers to sell the sugar at a price higher than Rs70 per kg. He said the administration was going to establish sale points to sell the sugar at controlled rate to the citizens in partnership with the retailers and the sugar mills.

In Muzaffargarh, Karyana Association president Riaz Siddiqui said the sugar mills were selling the sugar at Rs82 per kg and they cannot sell the sugar for Rs70. He said the district administration is imposing fines on small shops over sugar rate but they are not taking any action against the sugar mills.

In Khanewal, the people are facing it hard to get sugar even at high rates whereas the flour is also not available at the government rates.

In Dera Ghazi Khan too, people are unable to get flour on cheap rates. The 20-kg flour sack is being sold ta Rs1080.

In Bahawalpur too, the people are getting the flour at inflated prices as the flour is available for Rs54 per kg instead of government fixed rate of Rs44 per kg.