Wheat procurement: SHC orders judicial supervision of gunny bag distribution

Order issued to judicial officers of 15 districts of Sindh

HYDERABABD: The Sindh High Court has ordered judicial supervision of the distribution of gunny bags for Sindh government's wheat procurement of 1.4 million tons for which Rs45 billion has been earmarked.

According to the order given by Justice Azizur Rehman and Justice Faheem Ahmed Siddiqi on Monday, the district and sessions judges will depute civil judges and judicial magistrate over the procurement centres in their districts.

The order, which came in multiple identical petitions filed by 22 farmers, has been issued to the judicial officers of 15 districts of Sindh where the wheat harvest is taking place.

The petitioners complained about delay in the opening of the Sindh food department's wheat procurement centres and of corruption and favouritism in the allocation of the bags. They also accused the food officials for conniving with influential and political persons in the allocation.



The petitioners complained that the provincial government had delayed the process for almost two months, leaving the districts where the crop has been harvested at the mercy of the middlemen. The government fixed the rate of Rs1,300 per 40 kilogramme from the crop. However, the middlemen are reportedly paying between Rs1,000 and Rs1,100 per 40kg to the wheat farmers.

The provincial government buys one fourth of the estimated wheat production in the province.

Meanwhile, in a petition filed by a resident of Sanghar district, the SHC order the Sindh Anti-Corruption Establishment to initiate an inquiry against the food officials of Sanghar. The petitions were disposed off.