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ATTOCK, Oct 7: Despite increase in wheat flour price by Rs40 per 20 kg to Rs420, flour shortage still persists in Attock and other parts of the district thanks to continued smuggling of wheat to the NWFP, market sources said on Tuesday.
They said common man was still facing hardship in purchasing essential kitchen commodity as the smuggling had reduced its supply in the open market.
During the visit on Tuesday to various areas of Attock including Fowarah chowk and Madni road long queues of men and women were seen in front of flour laden trucks trying in vain to purchase the commodity.
The scenes show that flour crisis has not been over as yet despite arbitrary increase in price and provision of wheat quota by food department to all 25 flour mills of the Attock district.
People attribute the crisis to smuggling of wheat and flour from bordering Attock district of Punjab to NWFP.
They believe that the local administration’s strategy to curb flour and wheat smuggling seems to have failed because of alleged involvement of some officials of the food department. A powerful smuggling mafia with the connivance of some “black sheep” at the check post was doing a roaring business, they maintained.
However, the district government claimed that they were committed to controlling the smuggling of flour and wheat to NWFP through this district besides ensuring smooth supply of flour in open market.
LOADSHEDDING: The Islamabad Electric Supply Company (Iesco) has resumed six hours daily power loadshedding in Attock.
The new schedule for ‘load management’ would be implemented with immediate effect, Iesco’s sources said.
According to the new schedule, power supply will remain suspended for one hour in five to six time a day.
National Power Control Centre, an Islamabad-based body responsible for regulating the loadshedding throughout the country, had communicated the daily shortfall quota to Iesco.But the consumers wondered as how the public utility managed smooth power supply in Ramazan that is too in warm weather.
The source said that cut in power generation by the Independent Power Producers (IPPs) and hydropower was the main factor behind resumption of loadshedding across the country.
Meanwhile, Iesco asked the consumers to extend their cooperation and conserve energy to overcome the current crisis. He said complying with energy conservation measures would help reduce the duration of loadshedding.
Under energy conservation guidelines, the consumers were asked to contain power consumption during peak hours ranging from 5pm to 11pm. Similarly, closing down all commercial shopping centers by 8pm, saving of at least 25 per cent energy by the industrial consumers, and utilisation of energy savers instead of bulbs were the main steps envisaged in the new advisory.
