April 10, 2008	Thursday	Rabi-us-Sani 3, 1429

KHANEWAL, April 9: As the district faces 3,600-ton wheat shortage, the administration has sought help from the provincial government to ensure availability of the crop here.

The request has been made by District Coordination Officer Rao Shakil to the Punjab food secretary to instruct the neighbouring districts to provide wheat to Khanewal. Following the unexpected spell of rains across the province, the government will start the wheat harvesting season from April 25 instead of April 15.

The DCO held an emergent meeting in which he allowed the mill owners to purchase wheat and store it according to flour availability in the market. However, he warned the millers and shopkeepers of action in case they created artificial shortage.

The DCO also sought permission from the home department to delegate powers to tehsildars and food department officials to check the flour rates in the market. On the instructions of the chief secretary in the wake of flour crisis across the province, the DCO also fixed flour prices; a 10-kilogram bag will be sold at Rs145 and 20kg flour at Rs290 at fair price shops. At general shops it will be sold at Rs150 and Rs300, respectively.

“We have made arrangements to prevent flour shortage in the district,” the DCO said. In Khanewal district, he said, there were low-capacity wheat stores and “we have asked the food department to provide wheat from the storages with high capacity in the adjoining districts.”

He denied flour shortage in the district and insisted that the local administration had taken steps to ensure smooth supply of flour in the market.