2.3m tonnes of wheat available in Punjab, LHC told

CJ observes that there is a lack of communication between government institutions

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) was informed by the Punjab government on Friday that there was a “substantial quantity” of wheat available in the flour mills as well as in the markets of the province.

LHC Chief Justice Mamoon Rashid Sheikh – hearing the case regarding shortage of wheat in the province – asked the Punjab additional chief secretary (ACS) whether wheat was smuggled, given to Afghan refugees or taken to other provinces.

The ACS replied, “2.3 million tonnes of wheat is available.”

The chief justice asked then why there was an impression of a crisis and that the flour was expensive.

The foods secretary replied that chakki owners purchased wheat from open markets at a higher price so they raised their rate list.

The CJ observed that there was a lack of communication between the institutions. “A coordination system should be adopted to facilitate inter-department communication,” he remarked.

The ACS said, “Four more additional chief secretaries are being posted in this regard.”

The CJ said, “There are complaints of adulteration in 60 per cent of flour.”

The high court adjourned the hearing until January 29 and sought response from the federal government.

The LHC had issued notices to the federal and Punjab governments on Wednesday against a petition questioning their failure to control flour crisis in the country.

The petitioner’s counsel, Advocate Azhar Siddique, said that the government was not able to set a target for procuring an estimated amount of wheat and that there was also mismanagement by the price control “mafia”. He claimed that the “mafia” swayed the government to allow export of wheat with heavy rebate that led to the crisis.

The lawyer contended that details of exact production and estimated target for the entire country and all provinces needed to be brought on record along with reasons for allowing export when there was a shortage in the country as well as a list of the mill owners exporting wheat.

The CJ observed that the court wanted to know the reasons behind the crisis and the failure of the government to control it. He issued notices to the respondents and also summoned the Punjab additional chief secretary and foods secretary on January 24 (Friday).

The Economic Coordination Committee had allowed the import of 300,000 tonnes of wheat on Monday to curtail its reported shortage in the country.