September 15, 2008	Monday	Ramazan 14, 1429

MANSEHRA, Sept 14: Hoarding of wheat flour is going on unchecked here as a result price of 20 kg bag is raised to Rs600 from Rs540 and 40 kg to Rs1,200 instead of Rs1,080, it is learnt.

The district administration and food department have failed to control hoarding of the commodity leading also to its artificial shortage in the market.

On the other hand, the consumers have complained of various abdominal diseases as they allege the flour they get is contaminated with straw. The flourmills are selling the 20 kg bag at Rs460.

Sources said that the hoarding of wheat flour in the local markets began following the imposition of ban on interprovincial movement of the flour by the Punjab government. The sources alleged that some black sheep in the food department were hand in glove with the hoarders.

The sources pointed out that the provincial government had provided extra wheat quota to the local flourmills to avoid any shortage during the holy month, but the flourmills also indulged in profiteering thus compromising the quality of the flour.

A shopkeeper told Dawn that that the hoarders had been earning millions daily but the government was a silent spectator leaving consumers at the mercy of profiteers.

COMPENSATED: The district administration has distributed compensation money among 53 shopkeepers whose shops had been burnt in a blaze at a market, last month.

A ceremony to distribute the

cheques among the affected shopkeepers was held in the district council hall on Sunday in which among others district nazim Sardar Mohammad Yousaf, district coordination officer Israr Khan, president Markazee Anjuman Tajran Mohammad Younas, and secretary general Malik Hamid were present.

Mr Yousaf gave away the cheques of Rs10,000 each to the affected traders.

He said that he had already submitted a detailed report about the financial losses of the traders to the government. “I am optimistic that the government would extend financial help to affected traders.”

He said that the devastating earthquake of 2005 had shattered the economy of the district and the administration was striving for rehabilitation and reconstruction of affected people and infrastructure to revive the economy.

Speaking on the occasion, shopkeepers’ leaders said that none of their demands was accepted by the police to register an FIR against TMA officials allegedly responsible for the losses, nor appropriate compensation was paid to them.

They said that the business community would launch a movement for the registration of criminal cases against TMA officials and payment of compensation to the affected shopkeepers.