HAFIZABAD - A huge stock of 279,578 metric tonne wheat worth billions of rupees is lying unsold in the warehouses of Food Department in nine divisions of the province for the past two years due to wrong policies of the government.
According to official figures available, total of 279577.8 metric tonnes of wheat is lying in the godowns of the Food Department in the Punjab for the past two crop seasons (2016-17 and 2017-2018), including 106897 metric tonnes in Rawalpindi, 19671.9 metric tonnes in Gujranwala, 41895.75 in Lahore Division, 22275.71 metric tonnes in Faisalabad Division, 7348 metric tonnes in Sargodha Division, 8454 metric tonnes in Multan Division, 33921.68 metric tonnes in Sahiwal Division, 9588.624 metric tonnes in D.G. Khan Division and 29525.11 metric tonnes in Bahawalpur Division. T
The stock is in addition to the stock of wheat lying rotten in the warehouses of PASSCO.
Due to the wrong policies of the government and higher rate of wheat than in the international markets, the stocks could not be exported.
It is feared that if timely steps were not taken to export the wheat then the government would face colossal loss as the old stock would likely to be damaged by insects.
Moreover, the rate of supply of wheat to the mill owners is also exorbitant and the owners are offered supplies of wheat from particular warehouses, which is also created problems for the flour mill owners.
President of Flour Mill Owners Association Faisal Mahmood Langah has called upon the government to take immediate steps to export the huge stock to prevent considerable financial loss as well as to bring down the price of wheat to be supplied to the mill owners.
He also appealed to the government to facilitate the mill owners to get wheat supply from the godowns of their choice.
RAID: FIA, Customs Intelligence and PEMRA teams raided different places in Gujranwala division and arrested 17 owners of electronics shops on the charge of allegedly possessing and selling DTH (direct to home) and smuggled receivers prohibited by the government.
The raiding teams allegedly seized 1144 satellite digital receivers, 800 LNBs, 30 dishes and laptops from 17 accused in Hafizabad, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Narowal, Mandi Bahauddin and Silakot districts.
The owners of Sun Electronics, and Sangham Electronics were arrested from Hafizabad.
The Kaleke police have arrested Ayesha Sughra stated to be former incharge Complaint Cell Chief Minister Punjab under section 420 PPC on the charge of allegedly defrauding one Kaneez Fatima of Kaleke Mandi.
According to FIR, Sughra Bibi had deposited Rs three lakh as "Trust" with Ayesha Sughra some time ago but when she demanded return of the money Ayesha Sughra refused to return the money and instead threatened her with dire consequences.
The employees of Population Welfare Department Hafizabad staged demonstration in front of Press Club Hafizabad against their dismissal under the ADP scheme.
Led by President APCA (Population Department) Farzana Abbas, General Secretary Rao Sajid Ali Saqib and others raised slogans against the government for rendering jobless over 150 employees of population department, which, they said, was tantamount to their economic murder.
They further regretted that while the present government was boasting to provide jobs to unemployed youth, 3700 employees of the department have been dismissed in the Punjab, which, they said, was unjustified and uncalled for.
They demanded restoration of their services to save them from likely starvation.
Rana Yousaf Waheed
