On the directives of President Pervez Musharraf, the law enforcement agencies have assumed their responsibilities to oversee flour supply across the country in order to overcome the prevailing artificial flour crises. The personnel of law enforcement agencies have been deployed at warehouses to ensure wheat supply to flour mills and in the open market.
Law enforcement agencies will be deployed at the warehouses to ensure wheat supply to flour mills and wheat flour in the open market.
These personnel in league with officials of Food Department would carry out inspection of flour available in the market, so as to prevent the supply of substandard quality to the consumers.
Moreover, check posts have also been established throughout the country to prevent the smuggling of flour to the neighbouring countries. In Punjab Province, Pakistan Rangers took over the control of 349 flour mills and 77 wheat godowns late Saturday night.
Deputy Director General Pakistan Rangers, Punjab, Brigadier Qaisar Khan Tareen said that on receiving any information about mismanagement or smuggling in this regard, the relevant district government would conduct raids under the supervision of Rangers. All resources including helicopters would be used in the raid to tighten noose around the wheat flour mafia, he maintained.
Secretary Food Punjab, Ahmad Yar Khan said on Sunday that Punjab Government has given requisition for deployment of Pakistan Rangers in 13 districts of the province so that quick and proper sale of flour could be ensured to all people at their doorsteps. These districts include Lahore, Multan, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Rawalpindi, Mianwali, Sheikupura, Bhakkar, Bahawalnagar, Bahawalpur, Rahim Yar Khan, DG Khan and Jhang.
Likewise other provinces, law enforcement agencies have also assumed their responsibilities in Balochistan as well. Inspector General Frontier Corps Balochistan, Major General Saleem Nawaz has said Frontier Constabulary personnel have been deployed at 44 godowns and 55 flour mills in the province aimed at foiling black-marketing, and stopping stealing of flour at sale points, besides ensuring maximum relief to the people.
He said FC personnel have also been deployed in three godowns and 33 flour mills in the provincial capital. "FC will ensure relief and supervise flour sale in the province.
Earlier, long queues of the people were seen outside the sale points in severe cold weather in various parts of the province including Quetta," he said, and expressed the hope that they will get relief in this regard.
FC foiled flour smuggling and confiscated 52 trucks loaded flour carrying 31 tons flour each near Pak-Afghan border during the last few days, he said, adding that their drivers left their trucks and managed to escape from the scene.
He said FC have closed all smuggling points on the Pak-Afghan border and no flour is being smuggled from irregular points on the border. "FC keeps vigil on trucks loaded with flour which move towards Chaman or Killa Abdullah until they reach their destinations in order to ensure no flour is smuggled across the border," he said.
He lashed out at hoarders who stocked flour at godowns in Chaman and wait for finding opportunity for smuggling to Afghanistan, and said the FC will never let them smuggle flour in Afghanistan.
He expressed the hope that government would soon overcome the current flour crisis. Balochistan has stock of flour which will be sufficient for 10 days. Besides, the federal government will also release additional provincial quota of wheat weighing 0.1 million tons which will arrive within the next two days, he said.
DG Sindh Rangers Major General Liaquat Ali has called upon the masses to extend all cooperation to the Rangers to thwart the evil designs of the anti-state elements who have created this artificial crises for their vested interests.
He reiterated the stance that Sindh Rangers would take all possible steps to ensure availability of flour to the consumers at the officially fixed price. He added that Rangers would discharge their newly assigned duties with utmost dedication and those responsible for causing the flour crisis in the province would be taken to task.
Chairman Federal Food Committee Lieutenant General Farooq Ahmed Khan (retd) Sunday said a plan has been devised to overcome flour shortage and normalise the supply situation across the country a the earliest.
Presiding over a meeting of Federal Food Committee (FFC) in Prime Minister secretariat, he said laws have been made to award strict punishment to those involved in hoarding and smuggling of the commodity.
There is no shortage of wheat in the country as stock of over 1.8 million tonnes is available, he said. Provincial governments have been asked to establish control rooms to monitor the wheat situation and special powers have been given to district administration to ensure execution of all FFC decisions at all levels, he added.
A spokesman of Ministry of Food and Agriculture has said that the Government has increased supply of 32,000 tons of wheat at the rate of Rs. 465 per 40 kilogramme to the flour mills on daily basis which is double than the supply of last year.
The spokesman said that this supply of wheat is enough to cater to the needs of 10 crore population. The government has started supply of wheat flour through 4500 outlets of Utility Stores Corporation and Fair Price shops to the consumers.
He said that uptill now 2,13,000 tons of wheat has been imported whereas six more ships carrying 2, 42,000 tons of wheat will reach Karachi soon. Islamabad Capital Territory has intensified the monitoring on the supply of flour from mills as well as the sale of 20 kg flour bag at control rate.
Deputy Commissioner Islamabad Amer Ali Ahmed said in this regard, three check posts have been set up at Bhara Kahu, Chirrah and Pir Sohawa to control any illegal supply of flour from the federal capital.
The decision in this regard has been taken in a meeting chaired by the deputy Commissioner to further improve the supply of atta in the city at the control rate of Rs 295.
Deputy commissioner said that three monitoring teams have also been constituted comprising Magistrate Arif Rahim, Magistrate Bashir Ahmed, district food controller, Islamabad and officers of Rangers which would keep strict vigilance over the stock and supply of atta from flour mills, distribution and sale of 20 kg atta bag at the retail price on daily basis.