Eight mills sealed for creating artificial flour shortage

MULTAN: The City District Administration special teams on Tuesday sealed eight flour mills during a grand operation for creating artificial shortage of flour.

The teams seized the whole stock of wheat, the officials added. The special teams of the Food Department, Anti-Corruption Establishment, police and Special Branch raided the flourmills in the district and sealed eight flour mills. Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner Amir Khattak warned that the flour mills would not be allowed to promote black marketing and selling flour at high rates. He said that a 20kg flour bag was available at Rs 860 and if citizens had complaints against overcharging than they contact him. There was no room for black marketers, he warned. The government was spending millions of rupees on the subsidy of flour, he added.

Govt criticised: The Punjab Flourmills Association on Tuesday strongly criticised the government for failing to introduce and implement a comprehensive policy on wheat.

Addressing a press conference at the Multan Press Club, PFMA chairman Abdur Rauf and ex-chairman Nawab Liaqat Khan said that the government had no plan and policy to tackle the wheat shortage in the province. They also condemned sealing of eight flourmills in Multan and demanded de-seal them immediately.

They said that private sector was importing one million metric tons of wheat from abroad while the government was importing 1.5 million metric tons wheat. They said that all polices of the government were unyielding and non-productive.