November 03, 2007	Saturday	Shawwal 21, 1428

ISLAMABAD, Nov 2: The Islamabad authorities have urged the Punjab government to restore and increase the wheat quota of the capital that was slashed by 25 per cent last month.

Talking to Dawn here on Friday, Chief Commissioner of Islamabad Hamid Ali Khan said he had written a letter to the Punjab government asking it to increase the wheat quota to enable the capital administration to meet the requirement of 11,000 flour bags per day for the residents of Islamabad district.

The request has been made by the Islamabad administration before the shortage turns into a crisis just before the general elections. The chief commissioner said at present the flour mills of Islamabad were producing approximately 9,500 flour bags per day against the requirement of 11,000 bags.

He said until the last month, the flour mills were able to produce about 10,000 bags per day, but the production was reduced after the Punjab government decided to cut the wheat supply quota.

He said after reduction in the quota, the traders had been supplying flour to the people of Islamabad after purchasing it from open market in other cities.

Mr Khan said the Punjab government should review its decision keeping in view the fact that Islamabad district fell in the deficit area in terms of wheat production.

Moreover, he said, there were reports that flour was also being transported to some other nearby cities in the Punjab and the North West Frontier Province from the capital.

He said there was no check on transportation of flour on the border of Islamabad district and the administration had no powers under the law to stop this activity.

The chief commissioner disclosed that there were 35 flour mills in Islamabad district and presently 30 of them were functional.

Despite many constraints, he said, the district administration was successfully maintaining the control rate and smooth supply of commodities to the citizens.

He expressed the hope that if the administration got supply of 11,500 bags per day, then it could easily fulfil the requirements of Islamabad’s population.