Daily Times

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, keeping in view the artificial wheat shortage created by hoarders in the province, has ordered a crackdown on the traders so that illegally stored grain could be floated in the market to stabilise the price of wheat flour.

He took this decision while presiding over a meeting on wheat shortage and increasing price of wheat flour here on Monday at CM House. The meeting was attended by Chief Secretary Mumtaz Shah, Minister Food Hari Ram, Minister Agriculture Ismail Rahu, Advisor to CM Murtaza Wahab, PSCM Sajid Jamal Abro, Secretary Finance Hassan Naqvi, Secretary Food Laiq Ahmed, Secretary Forest Raheem Soomro and others.

The chief minister said that he has reports that some traders have hoarded wheat in their godowns, therefore, wheat prices have increased in the market. “We can’t allow poor people of this province at the mercy of hoarders,” he said and directed chief secretary to start operation [against hoarders] under the guidance of concerned commission and whatever force, police or Rangers, they need must be provided to them.

Briefing the chief minister, Secretary Food Laiq Ahmed said that on Jan 13, 20120, the stock position was 405,938.549 tons of wheat was lying in all the six regions. They include Karachi 10,374.333 tons, Hyderabad 24,948.0 tons, Mirpurkhas 1615.336 tons, Shaheed Benazirabad 58,524.593 tons, Sukkur 179,709.477 tons and Larkana 130,766.810 tons. Out of which the food department has released 35,805.607 tons.

The chief minister was told that as on Jan 13, 2020 the atta price was Rs43 per kg in all the regions. At this, the chief minister said that at present about 300,000 tons of wheat was still in the godowns of the food department and the provincial government released 130,000 tons of wheat in the city every month. “We have to release wheat till next two month, upto March 15 when fresh crops is harvested and lands in the market,” he said. He added that the provincial government has to make the arrangements accordingly.

The chief minister was told that t PASSCO 77000 wheat bags procured from PASCO have been released in Karachi and 25,000 bags in Hyderabad. More stocks were being lifted from PASSCO godowns from Punjab and Balochistan.

To a question, the chief minister said that Rs90 billions of commercial banks loan was out standing against the Food department. Secretary Finance disclosed that Rs20 billion have been repaid. The PASSCO has also been paid wheat price from them. The chief minister directed the food department to work out a plan to pay all the dues of the commercial banks and get itself relived from the burden.

The chief minister also directed food department to ask flour millers to set up their flour stalls and provide atta at Rs43 per kg to the people. “I want you to stabilize the wheat prices within next two days, otherwise I would take strict action,” the chief minister said.

Murad Ali Shah also directed food department to prepare a summary for the cabinet for wheat procurement plan 2019-20 so that support price and procurement target could be finalized in the cabinet to be held on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Sindh Minister for Information Labour Saeed Ghani has said that the irresponsible behavior of federal ministers over the wheat flour crisis was highly condemnable. He said that if the federal government was not able to resolve the wheat flour crisis immediately, its ministers should not have given such irresponsible statements.

Talking to journalists here on Monday, Saeed Ghani said that if the wheat flour crisis persisted only in Sindh, then the provincial government could had been blamed, but it was foolish to declare the Sindh government responsible for the wheat flour crisis all over the country.

The Provincial Minister for information said that he had already informed that the transporters’ strike was the only reason of the wheat flour crisis in Sindh, adding that as the transporters’ had ended their strike the crisis would be resolved soon. He said that 4 lakh tonnes of wheat was to be transported in Sindh province, but only one lakh ton of wheat could be supplied due to strike of the transporters.

He said that more than one lakh bags of wheat had arrived in Sindh, while the remaining bags would also reached the province soon through the NLC, after which there would be no crisis of wheat in Sindh. He said that wheat flour crisis in Punjab was caused by incompetency and mismanagement of Punjab government. He said that the wheat which was for the people of Punjab continued to be sent to the seed factories as well as to the provinces and KP and Balochistan.

Saeed Ghani said that if PTI leaders were demanding the resignation of the Sindh government over the flour crisis in Sindh or if they said that the chief minister should be punished over it, then first the Prime Minister should be held accountable and resign for making people suffer all over the country.

Responding to a question, he said that people who visited health facilities in Sindh could be asked how much comfort they were feeling in receiving treatment in these health facilities, only then it should be decided that whether these health facilities should be returned to the federal government or not. He said that the orders of the Supreme Court were to be followed in letter and spirit, but since these health facilities had been transferred to the Sindh government, the provincial government had spent billions of rupees in ensuring the availability of best possible health facilities in these health centres.

Responding to another question, Saeed Ghani said that the Prime Minister was on board over the issue Inspector General of Police, Sindh, adding that this issue would be resolved soon. He said that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s leaders in Sindh were doing politics on IG Sindh issue. Saeed Ghani said that Syed Kaleem Imam had ruined his entire career with his unprofessional attitude. Provincial Minister for Information said that he did not think that any of the provinces would be willing to accept Syed Kaleem Imam as its police chief. Answering another question, Saeed Ghani said that Sindh was the only province where the representatives of the local government were functioning effectively.