Though the chief minister and food minister have claimed that the government has stabilised the prices and supply of wheat flour and sugar in the province, neither the rates nor availability of both essential commodities are steady in the provincial capital.
Speaking to The Express Tribune, several citizens complained about scarcity of wheat flour and sugar besides fluctuating prices in their neighbourhoods. A resident of Eden Boulevard, Muhammad Bilal, pointed out that flour was hardly available at a few departmental and grocery stores in his area. He said shopkeepers have made wheat flour purchase conditional with buying other grocery items since there is a shortage of flour in the area and people have to buy the commodity from neighbouring localities.
Another citizen, Muhammad Azhar, highlighted that refined sugar is available in his neighbourhood. “However, earlier the sweetener was commonly available in every block’s market but now residents of Model Town, one of the posh areas of the metropolis, have to visit hyper-markets to buy refined sugar for domestic use,” he said and added that the price of the sweetener was also unstable in local markets. “Shopkeepers are charging highest rate of Rs95 to Rs105 for a kg of sugar. They are fleecing citizens without any fear as the price control system is toothless in front of these mafias.”
Protest against hike in flour prices
A shopkeeper, Ansar Qureshi, said the government has failed to improve supply of wheat flour in Township area. Sugar price in wholesale market is higher than the government rates.
He said shopkeepers had placed orders for wheat flour and sugar but the mills and dealers were not providing stocks as per demand, which had created shortage in the market and the consumers had to suffer. Similar complaints were made by a number of customers.
On the other hand, Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar on Sunday commended his government for taking timely and effective steps which helped the authorities to rein in the prices of wheat flour. He highlighted that Punjab is the only province where a 20kg flour bag is available on the fixed rate.
Buzdar vowed that government would take every administrative step in future also in order to maintain stability of the prices of wheat and flour. He emphasised that it is his responsibility to safeguard the rights of the people of the province and asserted that no one will be allowed to exploit the people.
He also directed officials of Punjab food department and administrative officers to continue to monitor the prices of wheat and flour consistently. He instructed the departments concerned to remain vigilant to provide maximum relief to the people. He warned that artificial hike in the prices of wheat and flour will not be tolerated at any cost.
The other day, Punjab Food Minister Abdul Aleem Khan had also claimed that according to reports from various districts, the supply of 20kg bags of flour at a controlled rate of Rs860 was going on successfully and there was no complaint of shortage anywhere in the province.
He highlighted that the report of the Bureau of Statistics had made it clear that Punjab was providing flour to people at the lowest rates. He said the food department and district administrations were on alert and there was an abundance of low-price flour at shops.
‘Punjab govt’s timely measures have stabilised prices of wheat, flour’
He also highlighted that the Punjab’s flour mills are being made to abide by the rules and regulations but the supply of subsidised wheat to the mills in Sindh has not been started yet by the provincial government. Different prices of flour create problems and some factions would buy low price wheat and flour from Punjab and sell it at higher rate in other provinces, he said.
Aleem Khan further said that on the directions of Prime Minister Imran Khan, strict monitoring was underway for the supply of flour in Punjab at affordable rates.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 18th, 2020.
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