sialkot-Consumers stopped purchasing the substandard flour being sold at Daska Ramazan Bazaar saying that the roti prepared with the flour turns black after it is cooked on a griddle.
There was no rush of the buyers at the flour-selling spot in Daska Ramazan Bazaar due to which the officials of the Food Department and TMA remained sitting idle. Several people told media that the flour displayed there for sale was substandard and short measured. They pointed out that every 20kg flour bag contains 19 or 19.5kg flour and every 10kg flour bag carries 9.5kg flour.
They said that this short measuring of flour by the flour mills and the quality of flour continued unabated.
The people reached there after travelling several kilometres from outskirts of Daska to purchase flour, returned back disappointed without purchasing flour due to the low quality and poor standard of the flour. They also cursed the elected representatives for their less interest in the issue.
A farmer namely Iqbal said, “We use such substandard flour as being sold at the bazaar to feed our cattle in the village.”
Officials of Food Department admitted reduction in the number of flour purchasers there. The perturbed commuters expressed grave concern over the situation and sorry state of affairs. They urged Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif to look into the matter and ensure the quality of flour. Meanwhile, there was no let-up in the miseries of the sugar-seekers at Ramazan Bazaar Daska, as the administration has further tightened its policy for the sugar buyers. It announced the limit of only 1kg bag of sugar for each buyer with the condition of computerised national identity card (CNIC). The new condition irked the commuters. The administration has imposed the condition to ensure the availability of sugar to everyone by selling one bag of sugar.
The tight policy resulted in reduction of the people intending to purchase sugar at Daska Ramazan Bazaar. Several women including Sakeena Bibi, Bashiran Bibi, Allah Rakhi, Ruqaia Bibi, Rukhsana Iqbal, Naseem Bibi and Parveen Akhtar said that they had reached Daska Ramazan Bazaar after travelling several kilometers from outskirts of Daska to purchase daily use commodities. They said that some of them were denied sugar for not having original CNICs, while some were given only one bag of sugar.
They said that they had big families and their demand of sugar was several bags, but they were given only one bag of sugar.
They said that they had no benefit from Ramazan Bazaar and said that they would not visit it again after travelling many kilometres. Meanwhile, all the seven Ramazan bazaars established at Sialkot district lack milk and yogurt stalls. People demanded early establishment of these stalls. The district administration had established these Ramazan Bazaars in Sialkot, Daska, Sambrial and Pasrur tehsils to facilitate the local people. As many as five days of Holy month have passed but the district administration remains unable to get the milk and yogurt stalls established at these bazaars.