KHAIRPUR, April 16: The Food Department is not supplying gunny bags to the abadgars and instead, some officials are giving these to commission agents after taking bribe.

This was discussed in a meeting of the District Council Khairpur held on Monday and presided over by Mir Dinal Khan Talpur. Parvez Ahmed Rajpar of Khairpur Dost Panel (KDP) raised the point that gunny bags have not been supplied to abadgars for the current wheat season, whereas the same were being sold against bribe to commission agents by the Food Department.

He said abadgars are forced to give 2kg wheat as commission on each bag. The KDP members Mukhtiar Hajano, Basheer Jalal and others supported his point and said: Though they have submitted applications to district administration and food department but none is ready to listen to them.

The convener asked the DCO Khairpur for official version to which he replied of making complaints during a meeting and sending an official letter to the Judicial Magistrate (Revenue) to raid the places where commission agents were selling the gunny bags.

The KDP member Ghulam Hyder Phul said the Health Department purchases substandard medicines which are not useful for patients and added the non-availability of anti-rabies and anti-snake vaccines in all government hospitals in the district.

Though, recruitment of lower staff in Health Department in Hyderabad and Karachi are being made but a ban is still in force in this district, he regretted.

The KDP member Begum Rana Shah criticised the health minister for running the department by discriminating the locals.

Farhana Naz another member informed that she saw patients were being given expired medicines during a visit to the basic health unit Saghiyoon and to substantiate her claim she has kept some in her possession as a proof.

One more KDP member Nek Mohammad Markhand claimed of the absence of staff in almost all rural health centres (RHCs) and basic health units (BHUs) due to which patients face hardships.