Flour to be sold at cheaper price: Quetta DC

Price boards will be installed to prevent inflation, facilitate public

QUETTA: Quetta Deputy Commissioner Major (retd) Aurangzeb Badini on Thursday said the provincial government has initiated special subsidy with regards to flour prices to ensure its provision to people at cheaper rates.

"There will be no compromise on the quality of food and no artificial shortage of food and water will be allowed,” said Badini while presiding over a meeting of price control committee.

“Fruits and vegetables will be evaluated on a daily basis and special measures will be taken to ensure quality," he said.

Deputy Commissioner General Saqib Kakar, Administrator Market Quetta Munir Kasi, Secretary Market Committee Syed Faizullah, Deputy Director Operations BFA Naqibullah and others were present on the occasion.

The DC said that additional teams of Balochistan Food Authority will be constituted and on a daily basis, samples of open food items and pack items will be sent to Punjab Food Authority for lab tests.

"Price boards will be installed in various areas of the city to prevent the increase of prices and facilitate the public,” the Quetta DC said.

In the meeting, it was decided that the district administration will take every measure to implement the initiative of Prime Minister Imran Khan at the national level and the provincial government in Balochistan will control inflation as part of the same vision.

"The district administration is taking all possible steps to provide relief to the people," the DC said.

Earlier, Balochistan Chief Secretary Captain (retd) Fazeel Asghar also said the provincial government is taking concrete steps to ensure cheap supply of wheat and flour to the people of Balochistan.

He was expressing these views during a meeting regarding the procurement of wheat.

Secretary industry, secretary food, commissioner Quetta and representatives of the Flour Mills Association also attended the meeting.

The chief secretary said the provincial government will sign a memorandum with the Flour Mills Association, which will allow the association to purchase wheat from the PASCO directly to sell the flour to the people.

"The price of 20kg flour will be set at Rs900, while 100kg bag of flour will be sold at Rs4,500 to provide relief to the people,” he said.

The chief secretary added that the transfer of the wheat and flour supplies will be monitored by the staff of food department and district administration.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 10^th, 2020.