HYDERABAD, Oct 27: The Atta Chakki Owners Association announced here on Monday that the mill owners of Hyderabad district would shut down their mills for an indefinite period from Tuesday.

Talking to Dawn, the president of the association, Haji Nawab Ali, said that the food department was trying to thrust upon them rotten wheat which was injurious to human health, adding that they had refused to lift the wheat. “We are not prepared to supply substandard flour to the public during the sacred month of Ramazan,” Haji Nawab said.

Earlier, a large number of mill owners, led by Haji Nawab, held a demonstration outside the offices of the director (Food) and the rationing controller against the supply of rotten wheat to them. Carrying banners and placards, they chanted slogans against the officials of the food department.

Speaking on the occasion, the association president said that the food department was forcing the mill owners to accept rotten wheat that had been lying in godowns for years due to the apathy of the department and added that it was absolutely unfit for human consumption.

Furthermore, he alleged that 8,000 bags of rotten wheat brought from Khairpur, had been stored in the government godowns of Hyderabad.

He accused the secretary of the food department of mal- practice and held him responsible for the deterioration of the government wheat worth tens of millions of rupees.

He declared the refusal of the mill owners to lift the rotten wheat and demanded the arrest of the food officials responsible for the wasting of a huge quantity of the commodity.

The mill owners also held a demonstration at the residence of the Sindh minister for Zakat, Ushr, Auqaf and minorities affairs, Dr Irfan Gul Magsi, and showed him a sample of the rotten wheat which they were being forced to accept.

The minister assured them that not a single grain of the rotten wheat would be supplied to them.

KHAIRPUR: The director, Food Department Sindh, Ahmed Bux Narejo, has initiated an inquiry into the stocks of rotten wheat.