KARACHI   -    Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, after attending a donors’ conference in Geneva, returned on Wednesday morning, held a meeting regarding price control of flour, and directed the food department to ensure Rs95 per kilo grams price in the open market and at Rs65 per kilo of subsidies wheat flour.

The meeting was attended by Minister Food Mukesh Chawla, Chief Secretary Sohail Rajput, PSCM Fayaz Jatoi, Secretary Food Khurram Shahzad, and Director Food Khurram Shahzad, said a statement.

Minister Food Mukesh Kumar Chawla told the CM that his department was releasing 8000 tons to 12000 tons of wheat daily and added the wheat stocks to meet the province’s wheat requirement till the end of February were available.

The Chief Minister said that if the food department was releasing enough wheat then why was the price not coming under control.

Syed Murad Ali Shah categorically directed the food department to control the atta prices, fix it at Rs95 per kg in the open market, and keep providing subsidised atta at Rs65 per kg.

Giving details of the available stocks in the province, the food minister said that over 618,569 tons of wheat was available. He added that these stocks were enough to meet the province’s requirement till the end of February and from the first week of March new crops would start pouring into the market and the prices would go down automatically.

The Chief Minister directed the chief secretary to further activate district administration in controlling the prices of not only flour but other commodities such as vegetables, fruit, chicken, beef, mutton, eggs, and pulses.

Meanwhile, Commissioner Larkana Division Ghanwar Ali Laghari on Wednesday said that any kind of disturbance in the flour provided to the people at discounted prices by the Sindh government would not be tolerated and FIRs also be registered by the anti-corruption department against those who disturbed.  He expressed these views while presiding over a high-level meeting called for distribution and control of prices on discount prices of flour in the Division. In which Deputy Commissioner of Kamber-Shahdadkot, Additional Deputy Commissioner-I of Larkana and other officials of concerned departments participated. While DCs of Jacobabad, KashmoreKandhkot and Shikarpur districts participated in the meeting through videolink.

He said that violation of people’s rights would not be tolerated under any circumstances. DCs and Assistant Commissioners would be empowered to take legal action against such violators. However, strict action should be taken to control the price of flour, he added.

On this occasion, the officials of the food department while giving a briefing about the subsidized flour said that the food department has got the quota to distribute to the people in all the districts of the Division, which is being distributed by establishing different selling points. Flour stalls have been set up at the district and taluka level where a 10 kg bag of flour is available at Rs 650.

Commissioner Larkana said that this flour is for the poor people and they should get the flour, if shopkeepers, millers or government officials tamper with it, DCs and ACs would be responsible for action against them.  He directed the Food Controllers would personally monitor the distribution process and report to the DCs and ACs on a daily basis.