ISLAMABAD, Feb 24  : Utility Stores Corporation (USC) Managing Director Umer Lodhi Wednesday said sugar was being offered at subsidized rate of Rs68 per kilogram at all the Utility Stores Corporation (USC)’s outlets.

Talking to a private news channel, he said as per prime minister’s directives, the relevant departments were cracking down against the essential commodities hoarders in the market.

The government machinery was fully active to ensure the availability of quality edibles at affordable prices and no negligence would be tolerated in that regard, he said adding sugar, flour and ghee were expensive in the open market as compered to the USC’s outlets.

Lodhi, however, said the price of sugar at utility stores was Rs68 per kg, 20 kg bag of flour Rs800 and ghee Rs170 per kg under the package.

He further said every citizen had the equal right to buy sugar from the utility stores and the quality of sugar being sold at the USC outlets was also far better than the open market.

The USC managing director asked the public to act responsibly, saying that some dealers could be involved in getting sugar from the utility stores on fraudulent means.

He said it was almost impossible to differentiate between the genuine customers and dealers. The dealers sent their workers as customers in the stores for purchasing the sugar, he added.

Replying a query, he said a customer could only purchase 4kg sugar in a day from the utility stores. He said a sufficient stock of sugar, ghee, flour, rice and pulses was available with the corporation.

He said the Ramazan Relief Package summary had also been finalized and it would be forwarded soon to the Ministry of Industries and Production.

The government would provide subsidies at 19 essential items including milk, sugar, flour, dates, soft drinks and spices he said adding the Ramazan Package would start from April 1.