Citizens protest against non-provision of subsidised flour

Citizens including men and women staged a protest and blocked Khanpur Road for an hour by burning tires against the non-provision of subsidised flour and the move of the district assistant commissioner of taking away the subsidised flour.

The hour-long closure of the road forced long queues of vehicles due to which the commuters faced severe difficulties. Later, a heavy contingent of police reached the spot and cleared the road after negotiations with the protestors.

According to sources, scores of people, including women and children, protested against the non-supply of subsidised flour near TIP and against the taking away of the flour by the Haripur AC.

The angry protesters set fire to tires on Khanpur Road and blocked it for an hour, due to which long queues of vehicles were formed.

They adopted the stance that the subsidised flour was only available at one shop and the AC took away all the flour bags from the said shop. “People are protesting against the Haripur assistant commissioner almost every day,” they said. “Why are we being humiliated?”

The protestors demanded that the subsidised flour should be made available in the said shop.

On the other hand, the office of the assistant commissioner claimed that actions were being taken against the hoarders in light of the instructions of the provincial government.

“The action was taken based on complaints against the shop owner for selling the subsidised flour at an exorbitant price,” it said.

“Seven sacks of flour were picked away from the store so that the subsidised flour could also be made available to the citizens at other places as well,” it clarified.

Meanwhile, the affected shopkeeper rejected the claim of the office of the assistant commissioner. He challenged the authorities to produce even a single witness to prove their claim of selling the subsidised flour at an exorbitant price.

“It is a conspiracy against me,” he said and added that if he had sold expensive flour, so many people would not have come out on the roads in his support.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 8^th, 2023.