BAHAWALPUR, June 26: The Utility Stores Corporation (USC) has decided to create a separate region in Bahawalpur, detaching this area from the Multan region. It is learnt that the step is being taken to address complaints of this region’s consumers in respect of irregular and short supply of essential commodities, particularly sugar and pulses.

Since the city has only three utility stores, most of the population returned empty-handed from these stores when sugar and pulses are sold to people on unscheduled timings due to short supply.

With the setting up of a separate region, comprising mainly Bahawalpur, Bahawalnagar and Rahim Yar Khan districts, the USC management is also considering extension in its network to those areas, preferably at tehsil headquarters, where people are devoid of this facility.

This decision is also in line with the government’s federal budget announcement of increasing the number of utility stores for the convenience of common man.

The future set-up of utility stores in Bahawalpur is yet not clear, but it is expected that the city may be facilitated with more stores shortly for the ease of the poor.

It is also learnt that the USC management will not be in a position to open such stores immediately at the tehsil headquarters.

Some more six months would be required to increase the number of stores in various towns or tehsil headquarters.

CASE: Hasilpur police registered a murder case against three nominated accused and the mob after the death of a prayer leader at the Bahawal Victoria Hospital.

Earlier, a murder case was registered against accused Saeed, his two accomplices and the mob when last week Master Muhammad Sadiq was allegedly tortured to death for `blasphemy’ by them at Choonawala near Hasilpur. Police had also registered a case against both the deceased under the Blasphemy Act. Prayer leader Qamar Javed was buried amid tight security at Choonawala.

Police have not so far arrested any of the accused nominated in FIRs.