DERA GHAZI KHAN: The licences of seven flour mills were suspended and 1,065 metric tonnes of wheat quota of 55 other mills in the division was suspended for eight months, for violation of rules and regulations, during the last one month.

Meanwhile, according to officials, as many as 203 persons were arrested after registration of as many cases against them at 12 check posts, for smuggling wheat and flour in the division.

The 203 vehicles used for illegal shipment of the commodities were also impounded, they claimed. The officials said as many as 47,093 sacks of 100kg wheat and flour were seized.

The figures were presented in a meeting presided over by Commissioner Dr Nasir Mahmood Bashir, held to review the availability of wheat and flour in the division.

203 cases filed against wheat, flour smugglers at DG Khan check posts

The commissioner said that all possible measures had been taken to ensure the availability of subsidised flour in the division.

He said the daily quota for 71 flour mills had been increased from 870 metric tons to 1,079 metric tonnes.

He said as many as 75,530 subsidised flour bags were being supplied to the people daily through 148 trucks, being used as official sale points in the division. Subsidised flour was also available at 361 shops in the division, he added.

HOARDERS HELD: During the last one month, the agriculture department got arrested nine dealers for hoarding and selling fertilisers on higher rates and a total Rs2.8 million fine was imposed on them, besides registration of 26 cases in the division, the commissioner said.

He said the monitoring of the provincial border check posts should be tightened to prevent the smuggling of fertilisers.

Saying that to provide relief to the farmers, the administration was ensuring that they were provided fertilisers at official rates.

PROTEST: As many as 350 employees of the DGK Solid Waste Management Company staged a protest demonstration against non-payment of their salaries for the last three months.

The company workers boycotted their duty to register their protest.

One of the protesters, representing his fellow workers, said because of the non-payment of their salaries, they were unable to run their kitchen pay school expenses of their children.

Meanwhile, a company official, seeking anonymity, said non-availability of funds was the main cause of the delay in release of the workers’ salaries.

Published in Dawn, February 4th, 2023