KARACHI-Justice (Retd) Maqbool Baqar, the caretaker Chief Minister of Sindh, has instructed the deputy commissioners to address concerns about the fair distribution of fertilizer in the province and to prevent the hoarding or selling of fertilizer above government-regulated prices.
In a letter to the deputy commissioners, the CM directed them to take action and pay close attention to their designated areas of responsibility to ensure that the distribution of fertilizer is adequately monitored and managed.
The CM has instructed the deputy commissioners to take the following steps to prevent hoarding and black marketing by conducting thorough inspections to identify and take strict action against dealers and shops involved in hoarding or black marketing of fertilizers, compile taluka-wise details of the number of fertilizer dealers or shops and the current stock of fertilizer available in each shop.
The deputy commissioners have been directed to establish Farmers Facilitation Cells, named ‘Hari Madadgar Markaz,’ at DC offices with designated focal persons to address the concerns of farmers. The Farmers Facilitation Desks ‘Hari Madadgar Markaz’ may also be established in prominent cities within each Taluka.
The Hari Madagar Markaz at district and Taluka levels are mandated to regularly announce fertilizer availability and government rates and prompt farmers to register complaints against shops or dealers violating regulations. The CM has directed the DCs to submit a daily report.
Meanwhile, the Caretaker Sindh Chief Minister Justice (r) Maqbool Baqar has said that the main function of the Sindh Food Authority (SFA) is to ensure that food consumed in the society is safe, hygienic, and maintained with the highest standards of quality, but the food authority has failed to perform.
He directed the Food Authority director general to work out a comprehensive inspection, and operational plan within two weeks, and share it with his secretariat and then keep posting regular performance reports. He issued these directives while presiding over a meeting of the Sindh Food Authority here at the CM House. The meeting was attended by Chief Secretary Dr Fakhre Alam, Secretary Food Nasir Abbas Soomro, DG Food Authority Agha Fakhar, Secretary Planning Asghar Memon, and other officers concerned.
The CM said that food safety, quality and hygiene were not maintained in government hospitals, private hospitals, medical colleges and even Ice factories, sweets and bakers and milk producers/sellers and slaughterhouses were not following the law. “It was the maintain function of the food authority to inspect them and ensure safety and quality,” he said and directed the authority officers to be active and work hard.
Baqar said that he had received reports that the mineral water companies, particularly the locals were not following the law to maintain the quality. Similarly, open oil and ghee are sold in the market without adopting the required safety and quality measures.
The DG SFA told the CM that their rules have been framed recently. He said that he would activate his teams and keep inspecting all the institutions involved in preparing/producing food items and ensuring their proper quality and hygiene. The chief minister directed the chief secretary to keep an eye on the performance of the food authority and make it functional in the interest of the general public. He also directed him (CS) to review the issues of the SFA and resolve them so that it could function to its capacity.
Meanwhile, Caretaker Sindh Chief Minister Justice (retd) Maqbool Baqar has said that there is no shortage of Insulin (Anti Diabetic), Anti-Rabies Vaccine (ARV) and Anti-Hypertensive Drugs in the province and directed the health department to ensure their availability in every government hospital.
“I will not tolerate if any patient suffered due to artificial shortage or black marketing of the medicines,” he told the health department. The chief minister had received a complaint that there was an acute shortage of Insulin, ARV and antihypertensive drugs in the government hospitals and even in the market. The CM in the light of the complaint got a detailed report about the available stock of the medicines in the government hospital and in the market.
The health department told the CM that 2,955 vials, 84252 vials of Insulin and 2003,967 packs of anti-hypertensive were available in the government hospitals stocks and government hospitals. The report regarding the availability of the said medicines in the open market said that 187,138 packs of anti-hypertensive drugs, 20,700 vials of Anti-Rabies Vaccine and 23,486 vials /pens of Insulin (Anti-Diabetics) were available in the open market.