DCO Saeed Wahlah has said that there is no room for mistake during the wheat procurement campaign in the district so the officers concerned should perform their duties efficiently to make the campaign a success. He warned that mismanagement and laxity in this regard would not be tolerated and criminal cases would be registered against the defaulters besides taking departmental action against them.
He stated this while presiding over a joint meeting of food, revenue, agriculture, labour and other concerned departments, held here to review the wheat procurement arrangements. The DCO said co-ordinated efforts by concerned departments should be mobilised to facilitate wheat growers at the procurement centres and that entire instructions should strictly be followed in letter and spirit for issuing 'bardana' and 'gardawari'.
He asked DDOs (revenue) to set up control rooms at their respective sub-divisions for the monitoring of wheat procurement and the complaints by farmers should immediately be redressed by taking prompt actions. Wahlah directed that the counters of revenue staff should be set up close to the procurement centres for facilitating wheat growers regarding issuing of the gardawri.
He further directed that seating arrangements, drinking water, pedestal fans, tents for shade and other necessary facilities should be available at every centre besides displaying of banners on conspicuous places and direction/instructions boards. Later, the DCO visited various wheat procurement centres to check the required arrangements. He visited Mamukanjan, Kanwani, Tandilianwala, Samundri and other procurement centres and issued necessary directions.
He directed that the staff of revenue, labour, market committee, agriculture, food and other concerned departments should be available and absence of any deputed official would be considered as criminal negligence. He inspected the godowns of bardana and directed the concerned staff to follow Punjab government's instructions while issuing bardana to wheat growers and that entire record in this connection should remain in order.
He also inspected the godowns of food department and reviewed its capacity. He directed that all technical methods should be carried out for safe and secure storage of procured crop besides ensuring the fumigation in the godowns. The DCO expressed displeasure over poor and incomplete arrangements of DDOR Tandilianwala at wheat procurement centres regarding the compaction of plinths for storing wheat at open places and absence of 'patwaris'.