May 30, 2006	Tuesday	Jumadi-ul-Awwal 2, 1427

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DADU, May 29: Wheat stocks of million of rupees have been infested by insects in several godowns of Dadu and Jamshoro districts. An inspection team of the Sindh chief minister said that about 369,011 bags of wheat were in bad shaped and not fit for human consumption.

The team visited godowns of the Sindh food department in Bolhari, Kotri, Sehwan, Bhan Syedabad, Dadu, Khairpur Nathan Shah and Johi.

Talking to reporters at the circuit house on Monday, team members Hassan Shah and Nazeer Ahmed said that about 306,600 wheat bags in Bolhari godowns were not fit for human consumption.

They said that 2,436 bags in Kotri, 569 in Sehwan, 9,183 in Arazi, 2,668 in Bhan Syedabad, 6,763 in Dadu, 8,879 in Johi, 33,866 in Khairpur Nathan Shah godowns were lying in the worst condition.

The wheat was stored in 2004-05.

They said that the government had sustained losses due to negligence of officials of the Sindh food department.

They said that they would submit a report to the chief minister in three days and would recommend action against involved officials of the food department.

They said that officials had not conducted spray hence insects spread in wheat stocks.

They said that if spray was not carried out in remaining stocks, purchased in 2005-06, they would also be destroyed.

Bolhari godown in-charge Zulfiqar Mallah said that officials had not released budget to purchase spray to protect wheat from insects.