MUZAFFARGARH: A 50-year-old woman died as she was trying to get flour from the Punjab government’s free flour point at Chowk Sarwar Shaheed while two fainted at Baseera city flour point on Monday.

The incidents occurred due to the huge rush of people and lack of facilities at the points set up by the government to distribute free wheat flour among the citizens under its Ramazan Package.

The Rescue 1122 sources said Taj Bibi, wife of Ghous Bakhsh, a resident of TDA 621, had come to collect free wheat flour. After standing in the queue since morning, she got exhausted, fainted and died on the spot. The rescue sources said Bibi died due to the lack of facilities at the flour points and the panic created by the rush of people.

Taj Bibi’s body was shifted to the Tehsil Headquarters Hospital, Chowk Sarwar Shaheed. Her family has reportedly refused to proceed with this case.

In another incident, two women, identified as Shahida and Zareena, residents of Bbaseera city, became unconscious at their city’s flour point. The rescue officials shifted them to the District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital Muzaffargarh for treatment.

People alleged there was a lack of proper arrangements by the administration at the flour points and the numbers of flour bags were not enough for the huge rush. Most of them had arrived at the flour points early in the morning and had to wait for a long time in queues.

Deputy Commissioner Agha Zaheer Abbas Sherazi took notice of the death of Taj Bibi at the flour point at Chowk Sarwar Shaheed and formed an inquiry committee under Additional Deputy Commissioner Imran Shams. The committee includes the district emergency officer Rescue 1122 and chief executive office of the district health authority. The committee has been tasked with examining the circumstances that led to the woman’s death and the negligence, if any, of the authorities and officials concerned.

On the other hand, the deputy commissioner claimed that the supply of free flour was going on in the Muzaffargarh district and free bags of flour were distributed among 18,577 people across the district on Monday.

In terms of flour distribution, Muzaffargarh district was ranked 11th in the entire province. According to official claims, there are 159 points for distribution of free flour and they have facilities of shaded areas, chairs and drinking water. Rescue 1122 staff has been deployed at each point to provide medical aid.

The flour is available at a Punjab Social Protection Authority’s store in the district.

On this occasion, District Food Controller Raheel Ashraf said that free flour is available at 22 truck points and 137 fair price shops across the district. A total of 54,038 bags of flour have been provided at truck points and fair price shops across the district so far.

Published in Dawn, March 21st, 2023