April 12, 2008	Saturday	Rabi-us-Sani 5, 1429

RAWALPINDI, April 11: The City District Government here on Friday cancelled wheat quota of five flour mills for their alleged involvement in flour smuggling and also took their record in possession, reports APP news agency.

Some eight trucks were caught making a bid to smuggle 4,000 flour bags to NWFP at the Chakri interchange and cases registered against them. The movement of the commodity was under surveillance of revenue staff.

On receiving the report regarding transportation of flour from the informer, that flour was being smuggled out from the Chakri interchange, the District Food Controller Chaudhry Muhammad Asif along with heavy contingent of police force reached Chakri interchange and during the checking stopped some eight truck loaded with flour bags and registered case against the concerned flour suppliers.

The District Coordination Officer, Mr Irfan Elahi, said that the flour was supplied by five flour mills of Rawat whose wheat quota had been cancelled which would be equally distributed among other mills adding cases against them for trying to smuggle flour to NWFP had been registered and the revenue staff deputed by the district government had also been changed.

He said the mills would be sealed if proved guilty of smuggling. Special powers had been delegated to magistrates to control smuggling and ensure distribution of flour to all areas equally.

Our Reporter from Pindi adds: The ban on movement of wheat and wheat flour (atta) and its transportation to all parts of the country has been lifted by the Punjab government to ensure maximum supply of the commodity wherever it was needed, sources told Dawn.

Now private mills will be able to sell wheat in the markets that was only permitted to authorised flour dealers before the announcement. The move has been welcomed by private mill owners as it would soon end shortages in all parts of the country.

The Director Food, Punjab, on Friday issued a circular to all district coordinating officers (DCOs) across the province to allow the private mill owners to sell flour directly to the markets without involving flour dealers.

Rawalpindi DCO Irfan Elahi, told Dawn that private mill owners could now sell flour to anybody and anywhere in the country in order to ensure availability of the commodity where there was a flour shortage.

He said that flour was available in all markets of Rawalpindi and dealers had been directed to transport wheat and flour to wherever needed.

“Tomorrow will be a better day than today and the day after tomorrow will be better then tomorrow. This is what we are doing here for ensuring flour supply to everybody. We have extra stock of flour and many times greater than the requirement of consumption,” he maintained.

It is expected that lifting of ban on private mills would significantly affect wheat smuggling to NWFP where the commodity was being sold in the black for onward smuggling to Afghanistan by unauthorized dealers.

The authorities were finding it difficult to check the illegal movement which was causing artificial shortages despite the presence of sufficient stocks, the DCO said hoping the situation would be completely overcome in the next three days or so.

The private mill owners are also hopeful the shortage will end soon.