ISLAMABAD, Nov 7: Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration has sought separate wheat quota for the flour mills, running in the Capital, a source told Dawn on Friday.

The source said the objective behind the demand of separate wheat quota was to control the prices of wheat flour in Islamabad.

The ICT administration also demanded funds to procure required quantity of wheat to cater to the needs of people in the Capital, the source said.

The source said the ICT administration had sent a summary to the government in this connection.

He said all 30 flour mills in the Capital purchased wheat flour from the Punjab food and livestock department and in case of any change in the policy of the department, the flour mills in Islamabad are affected.

The source said under the Punjab government’s decision, the owners of flour mills in Islamabad had been acquiring wheat for four-hour crushing time per day.

Owing to restriction of four-hour crushing time, the total production of all mills in the Capital is stated to be inadequate.

Meanwhile, some of the retailers told Dawn that shortage of wheat flour in the Capital was due to the three-day long strike being observed by the owners of flour mills in the Punjab province.

The strike is being observed to protest the arrest of four mill owners by Faisalabad administration for arbitrarily increasing the prices of wheat flour.

As a result of strike, the owners of flour mills have been asked by Pakistan Flour Mills Association (PFMA) to stop procurement of wheat, a wholesale dealer Abdul Wajid said.

He feared the prices of wheat flour would go up within next few days.

City Magistrate Farasat Ali said the owners of flour mills in Islamabad were not under control of the ICT administration because they procured wheat from the Punjab and thus followed the rules and regulations of the Punjab government.

“We want to bring them under the purview of ICT administration and it is only possible if they purchase wheat from the local administration,” the official said.

“We want to get these flour mills out of the Punjab government’s influence because the ICT administration do not want to indulge in any issue of the provincial government,” he added.