BAHAWALPUR, July 30: The government will supply essential commodities to the Cholistanis through mobile utility stores.

A decision to this effect was taken by Utility Stores Corporation (USC) chairman Brig Muhammad Hafiz (retired) and Cholistan Development Authority vice-chairman Brig Ahsan Nawaz Tiwana (retired). Later, they met USC regional manager Jahanzeb on Friday to work out the details of the project.

Mr Jahanzeb told Dawn that according to the plan, mobile stores would visit different villages by rotation starting from Monday. They would go to a village twice a week and take along with them commodities in abundance, particularly pulses, sugar and flour.

He expressed the hope that the Cholistani population would get adequate quantity of commodities within four to six weeks.

He said the network of utility stores would be expanded to the union council level. In the first phase, stores would be opened at tehsil headquarters. By the first week of August, stores would be opened in eight thesils of the region. In the next phase, utility stores would be set up at sub-tehsil level, Mr Jahanzeb added.

He said utility stores had already been opened at Fortabbas, Kehrore Pucca, Lodhran and Chishtian, while measures were afoot to open stores at Hasilpur, Khairpur Tamewali and Yazman.

More stores would be opened in the city to provide relief to the local population, he concluded.

Brig Tiwana hoped that the CDA would reduce the sufferings of Cholistanis by providing them commodities at their doorstep.