Flour crisis: CM Buzdar to chair important meeting today

F.P. Report

LAHORE: Chief Minister of Punjab (CM) Sardar Usman Buzdar on Monday has summoned important session on flour crisis in the province.

According to details, the CM will get briefing from the provincial food minister Sami Ullah Chaudhary on the shortage of flour while he will also issue directives to overcome the crisis.

Earlier, CM Buzdar had paid a surprise visit to a flour sale point in Jaranwala and reviewed the situation. He also inquired about the availability of flour from the citizens.

Taking action on the complaints of the residents over the availability of flour, the Punjab CM suspended the Assistant Commissioner Jaranwala and made him Officer of Special Duty (OSD).

He also suspended Assistant Food Controller Jamil Gujjar.

CM Buzdar said that the Punjab government has enough wheat stock and there shouldn’t be shortage of flour in the province. “I am one of the masses and came out into the field to make sure the flour is available to the public,” he said.

He also directed to increase the flour sale points in the city and said that he will keep visit cities to review flour situation.

It is to be mentioned here that the unprecedented hike in the price of wheat flour across the country and its acute shortage has brought severe hardship for the general public across Pakistan.

In Lahore, people are forced to buy flour at highest-ever price of up to Rs70 per kg, and the growers are holding the flour mill owners and the government responsible for the “Aatta crisis”.

In Faisalabad, the flour prices have skyrocketed with an increase of up to Rs30 per kg as wheat supply to mills has been suspended.

The provincial food department and the district administration of Lahore have jointly formed a plan to provide “relief” to the public of the city amid the prevailing crisis, and have supplied 10,000 bags of wheat flour to ten model markets.