The Managing Director, Utility Stores Corporation (USC), Brigadier Hafeez Ahmed (Retd), has said that the government's vision to provide relief to masses would be fulfilled through USC outlets. Addressing a press conference here on Wednesday, he said that the corporation at present was operating 560 regular stores throughout the country.
Apart from it, 450 mobile stores, 42 Sunday bazars and 90 factory area mobile stores were also operating to provide goods to the consumers on regular basis. He said that in order to stabilise the prices of sugar, it has been decided to sell sugar to the small retailers/shopkeepers at USC warehouses at Rs 1.00 per kg less than the prevailing wholesale market rates.
A separate quota of 15,000 M/Tons sugar has been allocated to USC for sales to small retailers/shopkeepers, he said. Replying to a question, he said shopkeepers and retailers would have to produce their identity cards and licences for buying sugar from the warehouses, adding that strict monitoring would be exercised to discourage the fake shopkeepers.
He explained that in view of increased demand of opening more stores in districts and tehsils, the government has decided to open 440 more stores throughout the country.
The corporation, in compliance with the decision taken by the government, has started the expansion of its network. In the first phase the USC has already established warehouses at Bahawalpur, Gujranwala, Swat, Nawabshah and establishment of warehouses at Rahimyar Khan, D G Khan, Sahiwal and Mianwali are under process, he added.
Like wise, USC has planned to open 100 stores by end July and out of these 10 percent stores have already been made operational. After the establishment of the regional offices/warehouses, the stores at the uncovered tehsils/taulka shall be opened by the USC. The work relating to establishment of 27 new distribution centres and 340 new stores shall be completed by the end of December 2006.
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