The Rationing Controller, Hyderabad district, Abdul Malik Abbasi, has been suspended with immediate effect following raids by vigilance staff on the directive of provincial Food Secretary on three roller flour mills and a small grinding units, Jubilee, following the recovery of around 16,000 wheat bags of 100 kg from the small grinding unit alone.
The recovery of wheat bags beyond the official quota of the small grinding mills and supply of government wheat to roller flour mills responsible for embezzlement of government wheat worth millions of rupees is reported to have established connivance of the District Food Controller.
The flour mills included South Land Roller Flour Mills, New Mehran Flour Mills, involved in embezzlement of government wheat running into millions of rupees, and Modern Flour Mills and Jubilee Flour Mills.
According to food department sources, action against more official will follow the suspension of DFC Hyderabad for mismanagement and corruption once the enquiry starts into release of government wheat in Eid holidays and physical verification of stock in government grain warehouses where hundreds of thousands of wheat bags are reported to be missing.
Sources said that wheat stock in government grain warehouse in the region has shrunk to only 6000 bags of 100 kg and wheat flour shortage in the region is inevitable.
Food officials were rushed to Multan late on Saturday night to accelerate the lifting of 10,000 tons wheat of Passco allocated to the region.
There have been reports that officials of Utility Stores Corporation have also sold 5000 bags of wheat allocated to it for sale of wheat flour.
Meanwhile, wheat flour prices quoted in open market on Sunday were Rs 13 to Rs 13.50 per kg and Rs 1040 per 79 kg bags. The rate elsewhere in the interior of Sindh varied between Rs 14 and Rs 15 per kg.