Sir: The Punjab government has set up as many as 382 procurement centres in the wheat growing areas of the province, and these are mainly manned by agriculture and food departments’ officials. These procurement centres initially have to provide gunny bags to the farmers and then to procure wheat they bring and offer for sale at fixed price of Rs1300 per 40 kilos. Despite the fact that the entire wheat procurement process is personally being monitored by Chief Minister Mian Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif, still, all is not all that well at these centres. Even after the passage of about one month, not all the farmers have been provided with their required number of gunny bags, and resultantly wheat arrival at the centres is pretty slow. The CM is paying surprise visits to the wheat procurement centres here and there without any prior intimation and protocol and has been keeping himself updated in this regard while in China through video link conferences with senior officials. Even immediately on his return home from a week long visit to China the other day, the chief minister paid surprise visits to a couple of procurement centres in Narowal and Wazirabad, where he reiterated his assurance to the farmers that their rights will be ensured and nobody will be allowed exploit and abuse their interests. The chief minister, according to the reports, was greatly annoyed on seeing carpets laid down in the procurement centres and not enough chairs provided for seating of the farmers including the elders. A couple of senior officials, who apparently could not feel comfortable without carpets were suspended and others told to facilitate the farmers instead of bothering about their own comforts. Even earlier on during his surprise visits to the different areas, the chief minister had found carpets at the procurements centres and suspended a number of senior officials and others on the spot. While appreciating what the chief minister is trying hard to provide maximum facilities to the farmers at the procurements to ensure procurement of four million metric tons wheat, one is forced to ask as to where are the provincial ministers, secretaries, MNAs and MPAs who were reportedly assigned the duties of visiting procurement centres in their allotted areas and keep the chief minister duly informed and updated in this regard. It also seems that the officials manning the procurement centres are not afraid of earning the wrath of the chief minister. MEEM ZAY RIFAT Lahore