SUKKUR May 4: Thousands of employees of local bodies have not recieved their salary for the month of April-2008, following stoppage of funds under the zila octroi tax (ZOT) share to the district and taluka councils by the finance department of Sindh.
Following formation of new governments in the centre and provinces and transfer of many officials, the finance department of Sindh, has immediately stopped disbursement of zila octroi tax (ZOT) to the district and taluka councils, as result of which these institutes stopped salary to thousands of employees for the month of April.
According to sources, the provincial finance department in the first instance stopped share of ZOT to the district and taluka councils of Sukkur, Rohri, Pano Akil, Ghotki, Ubauro, Daharki, Mirpur Mathelo, Shikarpur, Jacobabad, Kashmore and Larkana. The share of ZOT was earlier allocated to all the district and taluka councils by 25th of every month, which enabled them to meet their expenses and salaries of the employees.
Flour price rises
Despite arrival of new wheat in Sukkur and its adjoining areas, prices of wheat flour has registered an increased of Re1.00 per kilogram as the wheat is being sold at Rs665 per 40 kg instead of Rs625 per 40 kg.
Following wheat harvesting in Sindh and arrival of fresh wheat in these districts, flour prices have shot up by Re1.00 and, as a result, a 10 -kg bag of flour, which was earlier available at Rs220, will now be available for Rs230 in the open market.
According to sources, the increase was due to smuggling of wheat and flour to Balochistan via Jacobabad as many trucks loaded with wheat were crossing over to Balochistan from Jacobabad almost daily, while the check posts established at the National and Indus Highway to check this illegality, seem to be in-operational.
Sources claimed that a bag of 100- kg of wheat was available in Sindh for Rs1650 while it was being sold at Rs2300 in Balochistan and this was the main reason of smuggling of the commodity from Sindh to Balochistan. Sources claimed that the smugglers of wheat had given advance payments to farmers of Sindh.
Chairman Flour Mills Association, Sindh chapter, Iqbal Dawood Pakwala, maintained that all the flourmills in Sukkur were selling 10-kg bag of flour to the retailers at an ex-factory rate Rs172, which was available in the open market for Rs175 per bag.
