KARACHI, Feb 18: A high-level meeting held on Wednesday decided to form inspection teams to keep a strict check on flour prices throughout the city. It also decided to control the prices and ensure effectiveness of the price checking mechanism.
The teams would comprise inspectors from the provincial food department, officials of the Enterprise and Investment Promotion (E&IP) Department, inspectors from the Quality Control Department of the city government, and inspectors from Weight and Measures of the provincial Agriculture Department.
The meeting, held at Civic Centre, was chaired by Secretary Food Mir Mohammad Parihyar and attended by EDO (E&IP) Raeesuddin Paracha, deputy secretary Agriculture, representatives from Pakistan Flour Mills Association, Bachat Bazaar Organizers' Association, Wholesale Kiryana Group, Retailers Group and Ration Merchants Association.
The meeting decided to set up special stalls at all 120 Bachat Bazaars in Karachi where different flour millers would sponsor sale of flour at ex-mill price of Rs11 per kg from February 21.
Besides, 50 special stalls would be established in different markets and important places of city where flour would be made available for sale at the price of Rs11.50 per kg.
Mr Parihyar said that the meeting was significant because of the attendance by all the stakeholders. He pointed out that the decisions taken during the meeting were also very important amid an upward trend in the atta prices for long.
He held out the assurance that the decisions would be implemented by the officials and traders with maximum sincerity and efforts. The secretary said that he had impressed upon officials of the Food Department to keep a strict check on atta prices besides monitoring the progress.
EDO Mr Paracha said stressed on participation and sincere efforts by officials and other stakeholders and said this could only lead common man out of the ongoing crisis of flour supply and prices. On its part, the Bachat Bazaar Association offered free spacious stalls to the millers to sell atta at fixed prices.
Representatives of different associations also assured the meeting that they would sell flour at control rates provided adequate and prompt supplies were ensured.
Naeem Malik, Vice Chairman of the Flour Mills Association, pledged to implement the meeting's decisions in the interest of general public. Wheat flour would be on sale at control rate of Rs11.50 per kg at 187 Bachat Bazaars and at Rs12 per kg at other shops.
City Nazim Naimatullah Khan was to preside over the meeting but could not make it because of his sudden departure to Islamabad. The food secretary warned that those charging a higher rate of flour would be challaned by city government officials and their case would be referred to courts.
He said that councillors and town officials would closely monitor the prices in their respective areas. It was also decided that EDO Raeesuddin Paracha would monitor the overall situation of supply and prices.
INQUIRY: The provincial government has constituted three inquiry committees of the food department to look into the shortage of wheat in godowns in different regions after clearance of wheat stocks and to identify officials responsible for the situation. The committees would also recommend action against those found responsible.
These committees would conduct inquiries covering the last four years and submit their reports within the next 30 days. The committee-I (Karachi Region) comprises Syed Sohail Ahmed Shah and Fida Hussain Shaikh; committee-II (Hyderabad and Mirpurkhas Regions) comprises Tanveer Ahmed Qureshi, and Ramesh Kumar; and committee-III (Sukkur and Larkana Regions) comprises Mushtaque Ahmed Lashari, and Tariq Ahmed Memon. -PPI/APP