HYDERABAD: Chakkis being denied wheat quota: owners
Bureau Report
HYDERABAD, Dec 16: A large number of Chakki owners held a protest demonstration outside the district Nazim office here on Tuesday against non-supply of wheat to Chakkis by the food officials.
Hyderabad Chakki Owners Association chief Haji Nawab Ali informed the Nazim that the Chakki owners had not been issued challans for their December wheat quota till date.
He alleged that the food department had created flour crisis in the district.
District Nazim Dr Makhdoom Rafiquzzaman expressed surprise that the food department had not released the wheat quota to the Chakki owners.
He said that he would direct the local authorities of the department to immediately supply the wheat quota to the Chakki owners otherwise they would be held responsible for flour shortage in the district.
The Chakki owners informed the Nazim that there were 233 Chakkis in the district with 773 grinding stones but the wheat being supplied to them was for only 494 grinding stones.
They alleged that more wheat was being supplied to the roller flour mills, which had created shortage of flour in the district as, they claimed, 95 per cent of the population consumed Chakki flour.
The Nazim sought details about wheat grinding capacity of each Chakki to resolve the problem for ever.
He assured that he would take up the issue with the Sindh governor and chief minister to ensure regular supply of wheat according to the grinding capacity of each Chakki.
He said that he would soon convene a joint meeting of the representatives of the association and the officials of the food department to resolve the problem.
Mr Rafiquzzaman also came out of his office, spoke to the protesting Chakki owners and urged them to continue the supply of flour at fixed rate.
He, however, made it clear that whoever was responsible for creating an artificial shortage of flour in the district, would not be spared.
CONDOLENCE: Teachers of the University of Sindh, at a condolence meeting here on Monday, paid tributes to the late Allama Ghulam Mustafa Qasmi for his services in the cause of education and religion.
The meeting, organized by the Sindh University Teachers Association, was presided over by the vice-chancellor of the university, Mazharul Haq Siddiqui, and attended by a large number of teachers and students.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr Siddiqui, said that the Allama had produced a large number of scholars in the province who were serving all over the world and hoped that these scholars would follow and complete his mission.
Dr Qazi Khadim Hussain, Dr Marhab Qasimi, Dr Sanaullah Bhutto and others also expressed their views and paid tribute to the Allama.
