Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has held the Punjab government responsible for the ongoing wheat flour crisis in different parts of the country, it is learnt. Sources told Business Recorder that the Prime Minister also wrote a letter to Punjab Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi and directed him to take appropriate measures to avoid unpleasant situation.
The PM letter kept shuttling since the day of issuance between Punjab and the Centre, as the Chief Minister's Secretariat marked it to the Chief Secretary, Home Secretary and Food Secretary for certain action as per official routine. During this period, wheat flour crisis aggravated and flour price touched the highest level of Rs 24 per kg, and availability became rare in markets, Utility Stores and Ramazan bazaars established by city governments in the province.
The PM letter said: "As you are aware, we have had a very good wheat crop this year, which would be sufficient to meet our domestic requirements. However, despite new harvest and carryover stocks, the price of wheat and wheat flour have registered an unwarranted increase. This artificial surge in price is obviously the result of speculative hoarding and profiteering by some unscrupulous elements.
"There are also complaints about the weight of wheat flour bags being less than the specified one. The federal government had already suspended the export of wheat after foreseeing the verse condition. You (Pervaiz) would, however, agree with me (Shaukat) that the provincial government has to play an important role in regulating wheat and flour supply and price. I (Shaukat) would, therefore, request you to issue necessary instructions to the food department to take strict action against those involved in hoarding and profiteering, check the weight of wheat flour bags to ensure that it is in accordance with the specifications and also liaison with flour mill owners to ensure adequate supply and reasonable price'.
The letter further stated: "I have requested the federal minister for food, agriculture and livestock to convene a meeting of the provincial food ministers and secretaries to review the situation. Let me (Shaukat) reiterate that we have to ensure availability of wheat and wheat flour to the common man at reasonable price and take all necessary steps to prevent artificial shortage and price hike'.
According to sources, the Chief Minister's Secretariat, in response to PM's letter, after a lapse of 11 days, addressed a letter to the Chief Secretary, Secretaries, Home and Food, requesting for taking necessary action in the matter under intimation to the Prime Minister Secretariat as well as CM's Secretariat".
In response to the chief minister's correspondence, on 14th June, the chief secretary wrote a letter to the provincial secretaries Home and Food with the direction to furnish the progress report of action taken in the matter to the chief minister's secretariat.
On the other hand, the chief minister was alleging federal government for wheat flour shortage as the latter failed to take strict measures to bar smuggling of wheat to Central Asian States and Afghanistan.
An official said a blame game was started between the federal and provincial governments but ultimately the masses had to suffer due to shortage and high price of flour. He said neither the ministry of food, agriculture and livestock called the meeting of provincial food ministers and secretaries nor the latter adopted any precautionary measures to provide the relief to the common man in the province even after six days of crisis.
He said a mafia on the pattern of sugar crises was involved in the flour scam with the connivance of 'public servants' who reportedly earned hefty amounts by fleecing the poor people while making artificial shortage of wheat and wheat flour in the province.
It may be mentioned that the Punjab government had conferred magisterial powers upon about 630 officers to curb profiteering, hoarding and the sale of unhygienic food items during the month of Ramzan.
According to sources, more than 630 officers posted in all districts had been granted summary powers under section 12, 14 read with section 37 of the Criminal Procedure Code (Cr.P.C) 1898 to control prices of essential commodities during the holy month of Ramazan. The officers include all 35-district officers revenue, 35 district officers (E&IP), 129-deputy district officers revenue, 70 special judicial magistrates, 144 town municipal officers, 144 town officers regulation and all 144 Tehsildars posted in the province.
These officers were required to exercise the executive magistrate powers against the offences arising out of Punjab Local Government Ordinance, 2001, Price control Prevention of profiteering and hoarding Act, 1977, Pure Food Ordinance 1960, West Pakistan Food Stuff Control Act, 1958 and Ehtram-i-Ramzan Ordinance 1969 during the holy month but they failed in their assigned task and ultimately the poor consumers had to suffer earning bad name for the government.