RAWALPINDI: Deputy Commissioner Shoaib Ali on Friday asked owners of flour mills to not supply wheat flour to fair price shops and sale points through wheat flour dealers as they were involved in the smuggling of wheat.

Speaking to a delegation of the Flour Mills Association, the DC said that the price of wheat flour must be brought down as the provincial government has increased the quota of mills. He said that the supply system of wheat flourshould be improved immediately and flour mills should supply flour to merchants and sale points to end the role of dealers. He said that through this, the prices of wheat flour would be maintained.

The district administration has been directed to check markets and bazaars on a daily basis to ensure sufficient availability of wheat flour at the official price. He said that the government had issued directions to not tolerate any negligence on the part of government officials.

He said first information reports (FIRs) would be lodged against wheat flour smugglers and stern action would be taken against them, adding that the district administration established 84 sale points so people would get wheat flour weighing 20 kilogrammes for Rs1,295 and 10 kgs for Rs648.

Raza Shah, Khawaja Imran, Riazullah Khan and others from the delegation assured the district administration that they would implement official directions to ensure better supply of the commodity.

Meanwhile, wheat flour is still available in the market at Rs170 per kg despite the government’s effort and chakki and grocery store owners have still not brought down prices of the commodity.

Mohammad Nauman, a resident of Sir Syed Chowk, said that most people used wheat flour bought from local mills and they sold wheat flour at Rs170 per kg. He said that the quality of subsidised wheat flour was not good as flour mills send sub-standard wheat flour in the market at the official price. Riaz Hussain, a resident of Banni Chowk, said that people used fine wheat flour as the quality of official wheat flour was not good. He said that tandoor owners still charge Rs30 per naan despite the reduction of wheat flour in mills.

Mohammad Fahim, a chakki owner, said that we were selling wheat flour that we bought privately on subsidised rates, adding that we got wheat from the open market at high rates and it would be difficult for us to sell it at a lower rate.

Published in Dawn, January 14th, 2023