January 18, 2008	Friday	Muharram 08, 1429

KARACHI, Jan 17: The deputy director-general of Pakistan Rangers, Sindh, Mohammad Latif, has said that there is sufficient amount of wheat in the province and the price of wheat flour will be stabilised at Rs17.5 per kilogramme throughout the province.

Speaking at a press conference at the Rangers Headquarters on Thursday, he said that as many as 1,100 Rangers personnel had been deployed across the province to ensure wheat supply to flour mills, crushing of the supplied produce and proper supply and sale of flour at utility stores and fair price shops.

The official said that the Rangers had also taken steps to check smuggling and hoarding of wheat.

He said that three posts near Hub, Jhampir and Kashmore had been set up to check illegal transportation of wheat outside the province.

However, he did not give further details as to whether any arrests were made in this regard or not.

Sachal Rangers Commandant Brigadier Faqaur Rehman said that the flour millers’ association had assured the Rangers to supply 50 per cent of the flour output in 10kg bags to ensure availability of flour at utility stores and other outlets set up for the purpose.

“Our priority is to ensure flour supply in market. Though we have information about those responsible for creating this artificial crisis, but we are keeping the details confidential and will disclose it in a few days,” he said.

He said that arrival of imported wheat had stabilised the situation and the wheat quota of flour mills in Karachi had been raised from 45 per cent to 50 per cent.

Deputy Director Food Abdul Majid said that a laboratory test of the flour being sold at the utility stores and flour mills’ stalls was in progress to ensure its quality, while the weighing process had already been monitored thoroughly.

In a handout Rangers officials said that in Karachi there were 71 flour mills that needed 4,474 tonnes of wheat per day. It said their total capacity was 6,012 tonnes a day, while wheat stock currently available with the food department was 70,454 tonnes.

It said that 142 distribution points had already been set up, while Rangers teams were monitoring flour mills and the flour distribution process.

People can contact the Rangers in case of any complaint regarding wheat flour at the following numbers: 0300-8223838, 0334-2476745, 0323 2116254, 0321 2523941 and 0300 8280261.

Meanwhile, long queues were witnessed outside utility stores in some localities of Karachi as adequate supply was yet to reach certain areas.—PPI