SHEIKHUPURA/SIALKOT -  An alleged attempt to take away about 6,000 gunny bags on fake documents was foiled by the district food controller on Wednesday.

A large number of farmers had queued up in front of Khanqah Dogran wheat procurement centre. Meanwhile, some influential farmers accompanied by revenue officers entered the office prepared bogus documents and tried to take the gunny bags away.

Some other farmers standing in the queue namely Moazzam Bhatti, Shoaib Bhatti, Ahsan Ullah and others on witnessed the scene and intimated the situation to DSP Umair Asghar who along with the staff reached the spot and foiled the attempt.

Meanwhile, the wheat procurement has been delayed again for almost a week in Sialkot district due to recent rains which had halted harvesting.

It had to be started yesterday at all the 10 official wheat procurement centers established in Sialkot district here. The recent heavy rains and thunderstorms had halted the wheat harvesting.

Sialkot region is a hub of producing best quality bumper yields. Sialkot Deputy Commissioner Dr. Asif Tufail disclosed this while addressing a meeting of the senior officials. DC added that the transparent issuance of the gunny bags to the wheat growers and farmers will also begin from April 28, 2017 in Sialkot district.

Additional Deputy Commissioner (Revenue) Umer Sher Chattha, District Food Controller (DFC) Rohail Butt and other officials were also present. He visited several official wheat procurement centers in Sialkot, Daska, Sambrial and Pasrur tehsils and reviewed the arrangements made by the Food Department for purchasing wheat there direct from the wheat growers and farmers.

The deputy commissioner that the government has made effective measures to ensure the direct purchase of wheat from the growers. He said that the government was making efforts to end the economical exploitation of the wheat growers by curbing the menace of the middlemen and dealers.

He announced the online registration of growers at the official wheat procurement centres to ensure transparency of wheat procurement and issuance of the gunny bags. He said that the Punjab government would also take feedback from the wheat growers and farmers about the provision of the facilities being provided there.

He said that the district administration has established 10 official wheat procurement centers in Sialkot district here. Deputy Commissioner Sialkot Dr Asif Tufail told that the food department will purchase as many as 1,640,000 bags of wheat (82000 matric tons) yield  at the rate of Rs1,300 per mound (40 KGs) direct from the wheat growers and farmers at all the ten official wheat procurement centers established in Sialkot district’s all the four Sialkot, Daska, Sambrial and Pasrur tehsil here.