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GUJRANWALA, Sept 17: The acute flour shortage and record price hike of essential commodities have made the people to cry out.
The district administration and the police seem to be a silent spectator as shopkeepers are fleecing the people during the holy month of Ramazan unabatedly.
According to a report gleaned by Dawn on Monday, the flour crisis has aggravated after most of flourmills in the Gujranwala division refused to cooperate with the district administration and the food department. Consequently, a flour bag of 20kg is being retailed between Rs360 and Rs380 in the market.
It is learnt that the food department had directed 51 mill owners in the division to sell flour at sale points outside their mills to overcome the crisis, but to no avail.
These mill owners in Gujranwala, Gujrat, Hafizabad, Narowal and Mandi Bahauddin have neither established sale points nor provided the commodity to Sunday bazaars for the last three days.
Similarly, flour, ghee, sugar and other essential items are also not available at utility stores in and around the city.
A food department spokesman said on Monday that directives had again been issued to 51 mill owners to set up sale points outside their mills as the department had enhanced their flour quota to 10,000 bags daily.
TOBA TEK SINGH: Eleven fair price shops have been set up in the district where 20kg flour bag will be sold at Rs255.
DCO Nawazish Ali said here on Monday that two shops had been established at Lala Chowk and outside the Committee Garden at Toba Tek Singh, one shop at Rajana, three shops at Kamalia, four shops at Gojra and one shop at Pirmahal.
The DCO directed special magistrates and deputy district officers (revenue) to keep a tight check on prices.
He said that a control room had also been set up in the office of the EDO (finance) to monitor the prices of fruits, vegetables and other commodities in the entire district.
SHEIKHUPURA: The price control committees constituted by the District Coordination Officer (DCO) have failed to check hoarding which has resulted in the shortage of flour and other essential items in the district.
Despite the fact that the government has fixed the flour price of 20kg bag at Rs260, but it is being sold at Rs340.
