GUJRANWALA, Sept 29: The Baitul Mal’s district office is not paying compensation to genuine destitute and widows and they have urged the chief minister and other high-ups to ensure that they were paid the compensation at the earliest.

Talking to Dawn here on Saturday, some destitute and widows said they were not being paid despite they had submitted their forms in the Baitul Mal office on Civil Hospital Road two years ago. They said the Baitul Mal officials were paying the compensation on the recommendation of area’s parliamentarians or influential people at the expense of genuinely deserving persons.

They demanded that Baitul Mal’s record should immediately be seized and sealed because some officials were involved in embezzlement of funds.

When contacted, Baitul Mal officials said since the funds were limited, they could not disburse compensation to all aspirants.

FLOUR: District Coordination Officer (DCO) Ather Hussain Sial has claimed that there was no shortage of flour in the district and 20-kilogramme flour bag was available in open market at Rs295 and in Ramazan and Friday bazaars at Rs285.

Speaking at a briefing in his office here on Saturday, the DCO said he and other senior officials had visited several bazaars and found the flour supply under control.

He said checking teams accompanied by special magistrates raided various markets and booked around 259 shopkeepers for overcharging and not displaying rate lists. The raiding teams also collected Rs1.1 million fine from delinquent shopkeepers.

He said that deputy district officers of each tehsil were responsible to ensure provision of flour and commodities to the masses at affordable prices in their respective jurisdiction.