24 flour mills sealed

According to the sources, the Food Department officials along with armed policemen carried out the raids and sealed the flour mills found involved in hoarding and supply substandard flour to the market.
The govt launched the crackdown following the flour millers and the Punjab govt held a series of meetings but failed to develop a consensus over the issue of flour price.
According to the insiders, the govt officials stuck to their guns over the issue of flour price and had made it clear to the millers that the flour prices would not be increased at any cost.
The flour millers were of the view that they were unable to sell 20-kg flour bag at Rs 365, the price fixed by the govt, when the price of wheat has shot up to Rs 760 per 40 kg in the open market particularly after an alarming increase in the prices of petroleum products and electricity.
Earlier, the millers had demanded of the govt to immediately issue wheat quota from the available stock to the mills to overcome shortage and to control the flour prices in case the govt did not allow any increase in the flour price.
The millers stopped the floor supply to the markets stating that they had no wheat to grind after both the miller and the govt failed to develop a consensus over the flour price issue.
The govt launched the crackdown against the millers after they stopped the flour supply to the markets, triggering one of the worst flour crisis throughout the province.
The Punjab Food Department officials were of the view that the millers were creating fake shortage in the market by stopping the flour supply.
The millers condemned the crackdown, flour sampling method and ban on the flour and wheat movement and termed it as pressure tactics of the provincial government to harass the flour millers.
Meanwhile, the flour crisis has further deepened in the Punjab province.
The retail price of 20-kg flour bag has shot up to Rs 450 in the open market while the flour shortage is increasing with the passage of every single day.