RAHIM YAR KHAN: Utility Stores Corporation’s local employees have accused their Sukkur regional manager and in-charge of the corporation’s local warehouse of being involved in embezzlement in stocks of flour, ghee and sugar.

At a press conference here on Sunday, USC store managers Rais Shouket Ali Zulfiqar Ali, Nawaz Jamal and Muhammad Asim alleged that on Jan 23 and 24, 3,000 bags of subsidised wheat flour were supplied by a flour mills to the corporation’s warehouse “only in documents”.

They alleged that actually the flour bags released by the mills were sold out to traders in the market by the warehouse in charge Mr Rafique, in connivance with the flour mills owners. They said that on Jan 24, Rafique was caught red-handed by USC employees while selling 1,000kg sugar and 1,000kg ghee at Chak 92-P.

They claimed that they also had a footage of the illegal sale of these commodities by Rafique. They further said that when they reported the matter to USC Sukkur Zonal Manager Imran Jillani, he appointed Regional Manager Adnan Siddiqui as inquiry officer, but no step was taken against the accused by these officials.

They said that both the zonal and regional managers were involved in a mega corruption case in 2016 and USC head office in Islamabad had initiated an inquiry against them (through letter No 1680/2016).

They claimed there was 50,000kg sugar in RYK USC warehouse but the commodity was not available at any of the 58 corporation outlets in the district. They said they were being threatened by these “corrupt officer” for raising the issue.

Published in Dawn, February 24th, 2020