September 11, 2008	Thursday	Ramazan 10, 1429

RAWALPINDI, Sept 10: After considerable improvement in the availability of wheat flour through Sasta Bazaars and fair-price shops in addition to putting a strict check on smuggling, the district administration has now also opened the sale of staple food through retail shops, officials said.

The sale which began on Wednesday will spread to different parts of the city on Thursday, signaling the message of the Punjab government that the wheat flour crisis in Rawalpindi was now nearly over and the situation would improve in the coming days, a spokesman for the City District Government Rawalpindi told Dawn.

Trucks loaded with bags of wheat flour were sent to the local markets around Banni and other localities on Wednesday.

The Markazi Anjuman-i-Tajiran, Rawalpindi city, and the Karyana Merchants’ Association joined hands with the food department and the district government to ensure that the staple food is sold at the official price and is available all the time.

“It has been decided that each merchant will be supplied with 30 to 50 bags of wheat flour at least once or twice a week to ensure that consumers do not face any shortage,” the spokesman said.

According to the spokesman, strict vigilance is in place to eliminate the possibility of wheat flour smuggling to parts of NWFP.

Teams comprising officials of law enforcement agencies, food department and the district government have set up checkpoints near bus terminals and gateways exit points of the city.