24 flour mills sealed

LAHORE- The Punjab government, in a massive crackdown, has sealed 24 flour mills in various districts of the province on  charges of wheat hoarding, supply of substandard flour and attempts to create fake shortage of flour in open market, the sources revealed on Saturday.
On the other hand, the flour millers have announced an increase of Rs 85 per 20-kg bag in the flour price (from Rs 365 to Rs 450 per 20-kg) and threatened to shut down the mills across the province against the govt action terming it as ‘cruel and aggressive’.
‘We have sealed 24 flour mills in Punjab out of which 9 are located in Rahimyar Khan, 13 in Bahawalpur and two in Bahawalnagar. We will not spare the hoarders and profiteers as the crackdown is underway across the Punjab’, a high- ranking official of the Food Department confirmed, when contacted.
The sources further disclosed that the District Food Controllers (DFCs) of Layyah and DG Khan districts have also been suspended on the charges of negligence while the DFCs of other districts have been warned that strict action would be taken against them if they failed to maintain the flour supply at the officially fixed price in their respective areas.
Chairman Pakistan Flour Mills Association (Punjab-branch) Habib-ur-Rehman Leghari condemned the crackdown in strong words saying, ‘this (action) is barbarous, uncivilised and cruel step taken by the provincial govt to harass the flour milling industry’.
We will be left with no other option but to shutdown the millers all over the Punjab if the govt did not stop what he said, the so-called crackdown.
He further said that the govt had also cancelled the permits of flour mills situated in DG Khan district, which allows the millers to supply flour to NWFP and Balochistan provinces.
‘So we have increased the flour price in DG Khan district from Rs 365 to Rs 450 per 20-kg bag. The new rates will be applicable from Sunday (today)’, he added.
Leghari further said that they would increase the flour price in every district where the govt would cancel the permits of the flour mills. If the govt will attempt to take any action against the millers, we will shut down the mills across the Punjab, he said.
The sources said that the provincial govt launched the crackdown against the flour millers on the directions of Punjab Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif late on Friday night and sealed 24 flour mills in the province.