Cheap flour remains out of citizens’ reach

Mismanagement allegedly caused due to limited selling points and improper guidance by government officers

KARACHI:

Despite millions spent on wheat flour subsidies by the government, it appears that only a fragment of Karachi’s population has been able to benefit from the resulting price relief so far. While access to subsidised flour for the remaining 90 per cent of megacity residents is still a pipe dream owing to limited outlets for sale. Moreover, local surveys reveal that many in the city are not even of the offered subsidy and to what stores does it apply, leaving the twenty-something million people to depend on extortionate market rates throughout Ramazan.

The government’s wheat flour subsidies have been limited to a total of 32 stores altogether. Per official figures issued by the Assistant Commissioner’s office, these include only about five to eight selected locations per each districts. Interestingly, district Centeral, the largest district by population had a total of eight selling points while district Malir, the largest district in terms of area, had only five selling points across its span.

The official figures suggest that an average of 3,000 to 6,000 ten-kilogramme (kg) sacks of flour have been sold in each district everyday following the scheme’s launch. However, it appears that majority of Karachi’s population was not offered proper guidance on the flour’s availability by the local bureaucracy, leaving them running from pillar to post in search of cheap flour. In many case, it was alleged that the places advertised by Commissioner Karachi for the supply of subsidised flour were different from the places selected by deputy commissioners of different district. “For instance, Commissioner Karachi’s advertisement informed us that subsidised flour in District East would be made available at Johar Complex, Marora Goth, Shantinagar and Kamran Chowrangi but the areas selected by the district administration of District East included Chanesar Goth, Mahmoodabad, Patel Para, Hussain Hazara Goth and Ayub Goth for the purpose,” complained a disgruntled citizen.

The Express Tribune made multiple attempts to contact Commissioner Karachi’s office for clarity on the matter, via the number mentioned on his own advertisements. The contact number however remained unavailable , until a phone operator asserted that information on wheat flour subsidy can be sought form the assistant commissioner’s headquarters.

It should be noted that the Sindh government had given a subsidy of Rs460 million for supplying flour, ghee and sugar at subsidised rates to the people during Ramazan. Under the subsidy package, the people were to be provided wheat flour at Rs400 per 10 kg sack. However, while the said subsidy has remained out of the majority of general public’s reach, sources allege that it is mostly shopkeepers who have been unjustly reaping its benefit. Rizwan Ahmed, a resident of Gulshan-e-Hadeed, while speaking to The Express Tribune said he’s noticed quite a few shopkeepers buying several sacks of subsidised flour meant in his district.

Claiming that the subsidy programme has appeared more like a publicity stunt rather than an actual relief effort for the public, Ahmed also mentioned spotting strategically placed wheat flour trucks across the city. “Like there was a truck advertising cheap flour seen almost daily parked in front of the Karachi Press Club. It had a banner of a flour mill situated in Lyari hanging form it. The purpose of this was catch the media’s attention while also touting the scheme in front of Sindh government officials who frequent this route,” he told.

When the matter was brought in front of Commissioner Karachi Office’s spokesperson Sattar Javed, he somehow stuck to maintaining that the wheat flour subsidy programme was a success throughout the city. “If there is any complaint, the concerned authorities have already tried rectifying it,” he told The Express Tribune in concluding remarks.