The Punjab food secretary has sought a report and the deputy food controller concerned has issued a notice to the in-charge of the Rajowal wheat procurement centre over reports that wheat sacks were deliberately exposed to rain to cover up embezzlement of the commodity.
Elements involved in wheat theft allegedly removed the canvas placed over wheat sacks during the recent heavy rain and let it get damaged to cover up their embezzlement. The Food Directorate is also allegedly playing with people’s health by supplying the damp and substandard wheat to flour mills.
The blame was put on a centre in-charge during an inquiry and a show cause notice was issued to him. The secretary food Punjab has also sought a report from the director food on the matter.
Sources said that complaints of theft and misappropriation of wheat from various procurement centres in Punjab have increased. During the last six months, incidents of mismanagement have been reported at the wheat procurement centres in Mandi Ahmedabad, Basirpur, Shahamid, Head Sulemanki and Havelian.
Now, theft of wheat from Rajowal procurement centre has reportedly come to light. Six months ago, due to the flour crisis and high wheat prices, food department officials allegedly illegally sold wheat from the centres with the connivance of flour mills and earned millions of rupees. Departmental inquiries were also carried out but no action was allegedly taken against a group of officers of the food department and the embezzled wheat was shown in the documents with the help of flour mills.
During the inquiries, the data was allegedly manipulated to cover up the decrease in the number of sacks of wheat available at the centres. The sacks missing from the stock had reportedly been sold to flour mills. The mills showed the sacks in their record. In this way, major thefts were concealed through bogus entries. The sources said if the transactions of flour mills were reviewed by independent auditors, alarming statistics of wheat theft might be exposed.
They said that in the Rajowal centre, to cover up the theft of wheat, canvas was removed from above the sacks during the rains, due to which the wheat became damp. In order to cover up the shortage of wheat, lightweight sacks were deliberately exposed to the rains to produce moisture content of 18 to 40%.
The wheat is now being released to flour mills.
The sources said the canvass covers were removed before the storm and rain. The wheat kept getting wet in the rain for three to four hours. The same wheat was supplied to flour mills.
In this regard, the deputy director food held an inquiry, in which show cause notice was issued to Rajowal Wheat Procurement Centre In-Charge Food Grain Inspector Khurram Abbas for violation of standard operating procedures. The notice stated that wheat had been spoiled due to negligence, seeking an explanation within seven days. The sources alleged that the blame was put on the official in charge of the centre to save the high officials involved in the embezzlement.
Secretary Food Punjab Asadur Rehman Gilani, while talking to The Express Tribune, said that a report on the incident had been sought from the director food. Further action will be taken after the report is received.
Pakistan Flour Mills Association Central Chairman Asim Raza said it was unfair to let the wheat be damaged and sell it to the mills. “We have to sell flour with a moisture content of 13 to 14 per cent,” he added. “How can we produce flour of high standard when we are provided the wheat with 20% moisture?”
He said that if such an incident had taken place then action should be taken immediately against those responsible.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 23rd, 2020
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