PESHAWAR - Frontier Corps (FC) South has distributed around 400 flour bags free of cost among the underprivi­leged in South Waziristan while the district adminis­tration has also started supplying subsidized flour to people at their doorsteps, officials said on Tuesday.

Deputy Commissioner Hameed Ullah Khan told The Nation that they have started flour supply to people because there was already a lockdown in the area.

Hameedullah said that the assistant commission­ers had been deputed to check flour availability in the three flourmills located in South Waziristan - Wa­ziristan Flourmills, Wana Flourmills and Three Star Flourmills, and to dispatch the truckloads of the com­modity to various areas for onwards distribution at the rate of Rs820 per 20kg bag.

He said they have so far provided flour to people in the areas of Doag, Karikot, Ghakhaw, Shin War­sak, AzamWarsak, Tanai, Spin, GulKatch, Shakai and Tiarza, adding that the supply would soon begin in areas of Ladha and Sarvekai subdivisions.

The deputy commissioner also said that on the di­rectives of Inspector General Frontier Corps (IGF­C)-South Maj Gen AzharIqbalAbbasi, the FC-South distributed 400 flour bags to underprivileged in South Waziristan free of cost.

“The FC-South personnel distributed 100 bags each in Wana, AzamWarsak, Ladha/Makeen and Sararogha areas among the underprivileged, par­ticularly handicapped people and in the next phase, they are going to distribute 300 more flour bags, ie 100 each, in AngoorAdda, Shakai and Sarwakai ar­eas,” he added.

He said that the FC personnel have been providing security and supporting the district administration to ensure a perfect lockdown, with the aim of con­taining the coronavirus spread.

Meanwhile, several tribal elders including former senator Saleh Shah, PTI district president Afsar Khan and Malik Ameer Muhammad of Wana appreciated the supply of free flour by FC-South and the initia­tive of subsidized flour by the district administration to people in South Waziristan and said it would help prevent the spread of coronavirus as people would not have to crowd markets for the purpose.