The unruly scenes and images of public getting humiliated in pursuit of cheap atta dished out by the Punjab government is hardly creating right sort of setting for the people to start the holy month of Ramazan. With the rulers confronting with one crisis after the other, issues so distractive, ominous and even threatening to their future, one wonders if it is possible to have a smooth sailing when it comes to governance, let alone good and efficient governance. In emerging circumstances it is the public interest that is the first causality and this is happening since long most unfortunately. One recent example is how our ruling elite was caught napping with sugar crisis raising its head. As all the stakeholders from the government side bungled we found once again business community having the last laugh, making huge windfalls within a short span of time, as it always happened with sugar price going up from Rs. 36 to Rs. 60 in the open market. Most interestingly, it was Minister for Industries Manzoor Wattoo who put his seal on this incredible arrangement and that too with great hurry, showing his true colours for the first time. Nobody knows for sure what deal he struck this time with the sugar millers for fixing the price of sugar in one go at Rs. 55. Hence, the hue and cry we witnessed later on. It was PML (N) Quaid Nawaz Sharif who put his foot down and asked the Punjab government to ensure sugar supply at the rate of Rs. 45. The Punjab government on the instructions of Nawaz Sharif did not hesitate to take extreme measures, good enough to irk the strong sugar lobby while equally embarrassing Wattoo and his government. But the strong arms tactics used by the Punjab Chief Minister worked wonders and soon it was decided that sugar would be sold out at Rs. 45 throughout the country with federal government fully on board. Now the big question is whether the people would get sugar an essential item for the fasting public let alone sugar at the rate Rs. 45. It seems there is no guarantee. The sugar crisis started when the sugarcane production declined in the country. The farmers opted for other crops like rice and wheat and hence the sugar crop declined. With the sugarcane yield dropping, it was natural that it would disturb the demand and supply cycle in days to come with a potential to increase sugar prices. Then expecting the government to take right decision at right time engaging all the stakeholders is like asking too much from governments in this part of the world. Most people think that the government hardly did any stocktaking how to deal with the situation. Rightfully, they asked where were the genuine stakeholders when the problem was still manageable. By the way where were the Ministry of Agriculture and even the provincial Agriculture department with all its paraphernalia? Has it raised the alarm for the government when the country registered a shortfall? We hardly see it figuring anywhere during this crisis as it has no role altogether. We also now learnt that a strong lobby favourable to farmers did not allow the timely import of raw sugar. It seems that for governments the protection of public interest is no longer a primary concern. This trend could be seen on both micro and macro levels. Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister's announcement that the people would get a bag of atta as cheap as Rs. 200 came as a big surprise for even the officials of his own party and government. The independent observers went a step ahead. They declared the decision a sure recipe for disaster. It did not take too long to confirm their apprehensions. As the government started its supply of the subsided atta, mismanagement ruled the roast. The people instead of getting atta are receiving lathis. Women got fainted while men fought with each other to snatch the most elusive atta bag. Still those after waiting for hours failed to get even one bag were seen blocking roads to stage protest demonstration against the government. The complaints are abundant that the subsidy is falling in wrong hands. The impact created by the whole arrangement has hardly done any good to the PML (N) government in the province or country, brining out worst images of extreme poverty and its compulsions. Going by the past experience, the targeted subsidies in most cases end up in wrong hands and so defeat the purpose of the whole exercise. The subsidies should be across the board and not the targetted ones. The people only could find relief when the items at subsidized rates are available at their nearby shops and stores. The subsidies for which the people have to move from pillar to post to have one hardly creates any impact or bring credit to the political government.