LAHORE, Sept 17: The first automatic plant for the provision of subsidised roti to Lahorites started operation on an experimental basis on Wednesday.

Installed on the Regal Cinema premises, the plant can produce 6,000 rotis or naans, each weighing 100 grams, in an hour on an average.

The Regal Roti Plant would continue to sell a roti at Rs2 and naan at Rs4 a piece after Ramazan, said DCO Sajjad Ahmad Bhutta while inspecting its working.

Such units would be installed in other urban areas and katchi abadis of Lahore in order to ensure availability of subsidised roti to the people round the clock, maintained the DCO while appreciating the weight and standard of the bread.

Bhutta welcomed the gesture of plant owner Rahmat Ali for joining the City District Government of Lahore’s effort, and directed the officials concerned to ensure provision of 20kg flour bags at Rs250 each according to the demand of the plant. Meanwhile, during the last three days the CDGL price magistrates raided 1,592 shops and found 383 tandoor owners and traders selling edibles at more than the fixed prices.

Cases were registered against 64 traders, while seven others sent behind bars. A fine of Rs432,000 was also imposed on traders.

The CDGL had decided on Monday to fix the price of a 100-gram roti at Rs2 a piece and started supplying flour at subsidised rate to tandoor owners.

At present, the CDGL is supplying a 20kg flour bag to some 1,400 tandoor owners. Wheat quota of the mills supplying flour to tandoor owners had been doubled while CDGL officials were keeping a vigil on the supply of wheat to the mills and of flour to tandoor owners.

Some 358 bags of 20kg each were being supplied to tandoors at Data Ganj Bakhsh Town, 252 at Wagah Town, 194 at Aziz Bhatti Town, 147 at Shalamar Town, 37 at Gulberg Town, 30 at Nishtar Town, 79 at Iqbal Town, 60 at Samanabad Town, 137 at Ravi Town (A) and 106 at Ravi Town (B).