SIALKOT-Wheat growers protested against the unavailability of gunny bags at the wheat procurement centres here on Monday.
The protesting growers said that the middlemen and dealers were fleecing them with the malpractice of the officials deputed at the centres.
The Food Department has established as 10 centres in Sialkot, Daska, Sambrial and Pasrur tehsils to facilitate the local wheat growers and farmers besides making high claims to provide them gunny bags purely on merit basis. The protesting growers chanted anti-government slogans while protesting in Badiana and Pasrur here. They demanded early issuance of gunny bags without any discrimination.
Meanwhile, Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) Sialkot District President Dr Shakil also visited procurement centres in Sialkot district. He met with the protesting growers. He listened to their complaints and hardships in getting the gunny bags. He urged Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif to look into the matter.
CHEMISTS' STRIKE
Patients suffered a great ordeal due to the unavailability of medicines as the chemists' strike continued on Monday and entered fifth day in Sialkot, Daska, Sambrial, Pasrur and Zafarwal tehsils.
A large number of the patients and their attendants moved towards the government hospitals for their medical treatment. They said that the medicines were available only at the government hospitals. A large number of the people were found in long queues at the government hospitals, seeking medicines.
Most of the patients including heart patients suffered great difficulties in getting their direly needed medicines. The chemists observed complete shutdown against the Drugs Act on the appeal of Punjab Chemists Council (PCC). They lodged strong protest by keeping their medical stores and pharmacies closed. They said that the Drugs Act was not acceptable in its present shape.
The protesting druggists and owners of the medical stores and pharmacies took out rallies as a protest against the Drugs Act. They also chanted anti-government slogans, demanding early withdrawal of the newly shaped Drugs Act.
BODY FOUND IN FIELDS
Farmers found the mutilated body of an unknown elderly person from the local wheat fields in village Jaajupur-Phalora, Pasrur tehsil on Monday.
Police said that the body was about two weeks old. Some unknown accused brutally tortured the old man by crushing his face beyond recognition. Police shifted the body to Pasrur THQ Civil Hospital for autopsy with no clue or arrest.

Middlemen fleecing wheat growers

SIALKOT-Middlemen and dealers continued fleecing the wheat growers by purchasing the produce on less than fixed rate.
The wheat procurement has not yet been started in Sialkot and Narowal districts, a hub of best quality wheat. The delay in start of wheat procurement is forcing the growers to move to the local open markets in Sialkot, Daska, Sambrial, Pasrur, Badiana, Chawinda, Zafarwal, Kot Nainaan, Noor Kot, Shakargarh , Narowal and surrounding areas.
The perturbed growers said that the financial exploitation of the growers was going unabated by the middlemen and dealers who are fleecing them by purchasing it at the rate of Rs1100 to 1150 per mound. The government has already announced the support price of Rs1300 per 4 kilogram.
The Food Department has established 10 procurement centers in Sialkot district. However, the official wheat procurement has not yet been started by the Punjab government under the supervision of food department due to some unknown reason.
They said that this inordinate delay in start of the official purchasing was forcing the growers to move to the local markets in Sialkot district, where the middlemen and dealers fleecing them.
Meanwhile, the wheat harvesting is in full swing in both neighbouring Sialkot and Narowal districts. The male and female labourers and farmers are busy in the fields to harvest wheat.
Some local growers including Ghulam Hussain, Iqbal, Allah Rakha, Bashir Hussain, Nawaz, Waseem Afzal, Ghulam Mustafa, Salam Ghuman, Nasir Mehmood and Allah Ditta said, "The middlemen and dealers are also cutting one kilogram wheat from every bag as their self-imposed commission besides charging 5 percent commission from those borrowed money from the middlemen." According to the local officials of the Sialkot Agriculture Department, this season, the wheat yield was cultivated on more than 16,0000 acres. They said that about 20 percent wheat crops have been harvested in the region.