December 17, 2007	Monday	Zilhaj 6, 1428

LAHORE, Dec 16: The City District Government Lahore (CDGL) could not ensure hassle-free availability of flour even at Sunday bazaars, one day after it claimed to have sealed the provincial metropolis for checking the movement of the essential commodity to adjoining districts.

Long queues were witnessed at these makeshift markets, but only the visitors to Shadman Link Road, near Wahdat Colony cricket ground, Gulshan-i-Ravi, near LDA flats at Allama Iqbal Town, R-Block of Model Town, G-Block of Wapda Town and opposite to Rangers Headquarters Sunday bazaars could get 20-kilo flour bags at subsidised prices while a majority of customers at Baghbanpura, Shadbagh, GT Road near Shalamar gardens, Sabzazaar, Township, Jallo Mor and Ravi Road had to return empty-handed.

District Coordination Officer Mian Ijaz had said on Saturday that a special quota of 200,000 flour bags of 20-kilo each would be made available at Sunday bazaars while another 140,000 bags of 10-kilo each would be released for small consumers at six points, two each on Motorway and Multan Road and one each near Saggian Bridge on Ravi and Raiwind Road.

A senior CDGL officer said all the stock of 10-kilo flour bags was taken away by people within two to three hours from the six points, set up for small consumers.

“The flour supply in the city will normalise within the next 24 hours,” the officer claimed.

Punjab chapter vice-chairman Haji Abdul Waheed of the Pakistan Flour Mills Association claimed that of the 120,000 bags of 20-kilo sent to Sunday bazaars, some 15,000 were brought back. “The flour supply situation would normalise within the next 36 hours,” he added.

Meanwhile, onions, ginger, garlic and tomatoes remained in great demand at the Sunday bazaars and some traders sold the vegetables at the prices fixed by the CDGL while others charged at will.

Mostly low quality fruits and vegetables were available at these makeshift markets as the CDGL authorities remained busy in tackling the flour crisis.