Few flour mill owners provide protective gear to staff

Govt urged to fulfil the need

LAHORE: To ensure adequate supply of flour to the people and prevent the spread of coronavirus among employees, some flour mill owners of the city have provided protective equipment to the staff working at sales point of the mills.

The Flour Mills Association has demanded that the government provide safety equipment to the staff who sell and transport flour.

On Thursday, the police had to bring the situation under control after the special branch reported that there were huge crowds of people at outlets set up in the mills.

Besides, the deputy commissioner of Lahore instructed officials that the mills should be ordered to sell flour out of trucks at certain places and not the storefronts. But mill owners refused due to risk of virus infection because crowds were likely to gather at such points. They said that if the district administration wants to set up such sale points then they will only send the trucks.

They said the district administration should take responsibility for the sale of flour at these locations to maintain public order.

Sources revealed that the lockdown in Punjab has led to an unusual increase in the demand for flour. Hence the government has set up sales points in the mills where people are buying large quantities of flour.

There is also a risk of the virus spreading at these sale points due to overcrowding. Therefore, some innovative mill owners of Lahore have taken different steps and provided special protective clothing to their employees working at these sale points. They have also made arrangements for the buyers to wash and sanitize their hands.

However, the mill owners are having trouble finding protective clothing. A protective gown is being sold in the market for Rs6,000.

The DC has been demanding that the food department and other authorities make arrangements to sell the flour through the truck sale points. But the Flour Mills Association has made it clear that they cannot put their staff at risk because of inappropriate public behaviour and panic due to the coronavirus outbreak.

The association demanded that if the district administration wants truck sale points, it should deploy its staff to deal with people there.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, Punjab Flour Mills Association Chairman Abdul Rauf Mukhtar said the mills are also working hard in the ongoing war against coronavirus and are doing everything possible to ensure food security of the people.

“However, the government should also provide protective clothing for the employees of the mills who are working at the sale points because our staff is also in danger,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 30^th, 2020.