Atta smuggling crisis has worsened in Murree as the essential commodity being provided by Punjab Government for the people of Galyaat and Hazara on control rates is being smuggled to other areas.
This was stated by Union Council (UC) Nazim Dray Gail Abide Abase and former chairman Haft our Rehman Abase while talking to APP here on Sunday. They said that due to the connivance of Food department and Police atta Mafia is smuggling the commodity to NWFP.
Abide Abase said he made a number of complaints to police against the smuggling of atta but no heed was paid to his complaints. He said that along with the people of the area he himself tried to stop the smuggling of atta from the area. During this campaign, he was kidnapped by the atta Mafia and tortured badly but even then, stern action was not taken against the Mafia. He said that Punjab government provides atta for the poor people of Galyaat at the rate of RS 300 per bag but this atta is smuggled to other areas of NWFP and sold there at RS 700 to 800 per bag.
He said when smugglers kidnapped him, even then on the protest of people of the area police registered case half-heartedly, which shows police involvement in the smuggling of atta. He alleged that RS 5000 per truck is being paid to police for crossing the post and 30 to 40 trucks are smuggled every day.
He said that a jirga was in progress when a truck of atta passed through, locals, along with officials of food department stopped that truck and aggrieved mob snatched some bags of atta and ran away. Police registered cases against innocent people including Azkar Abase a noteable of the area, Tariq Abase, Tahir, Izhar Abase and others and brutallytortured them in the police station, Abide Abase added, despite his promise to pay the price of atta on the behalf of the people of the area who snatched atta just to cool down the situation.
Abid Abbasi said that SHO Murree Malice Anwar offered him two permits of atta and asked him not to interfere in the smuggling, which he refused.
Former Chairman Hafeez Abbasi told APP that if the atta is provided to the deserving poor people of the area then they will welcome it but the people of the area will not allow the atta issued on their name to be smuggled with the connivance of police.
When SHO Murree Malice Anwar was contacted he denied the allegations and said that there are six agencies including Food Department, Revenue Department, Special Branch, police and others to check the smuggling of atta. He said the trucks passing through Barrian police post have permits.
When DDOR Murree Noman Afridi was contacted, he said that primarily, it is the duty of Food department and police to check the smuggling of atta, if there is any.
He said that Revenue department provided staff for their assistance but due to shortage of staff, it is not possible to provide them much staff members. A large number of locals appealed to Chief Minister Punjab Mian Shehbaz Sharif to look in this serious public issue and take strict measures to provide the essential commodity, gifted by Punjab government on control rates, to the genuine deserving, poor people instead of smugglers.
They also appealed to Chief Minister NWFP Ameer Haider Khan Hoti to make it certain that the atta coming from Punjab must reach to genuine deserving people on control rates and not sold on black rates in the market.
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