Quota of subsidised flour dealers de-notified

MARDAN: Newly appointed Deputy Commissioner Capt (r) Abdur Rehman has cancelled the quota of all government subsidised flour dealers in the district and constituted a seven-member committee to decide on new dealers, sources said.

The district food department has allotted quota to more than 560 dealers for the distribution of government subsidised flour on December 13, 2022. More than 22 flourmills in Mardan were bound to distribute subsidised flour to 560 dealers per day.

Sources added that the district food department allegedly included the names of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf workers, relatives of the flourmill owners and relatives of senior officials. The sources added that the majority of the quota holders in Mardan leave their flour bags in the flourmills for Rs5000 to Rs6000, and later the mill owners allegedly sell the commodity in the market.

Sources added that some of the journalists also allegedly gained quotas in their name or their relative’s names in the district. Sources added that the quota of government subsidized flour was allegedly allotted to mill owners and political and influential people.

Sources added the flour mills in Mardan were also allegedly given a quota of 100 bags of flour for sale at mills that did not have a sale point for sale and often the mill owners took a separate quota in their names to the dealer who did not take the quota from the mills. The sources added that several individuals got three to five quotas under different names. In Hatyan and Lundkhwar union councils of Takhtbhai tehsil, 26 quotas were given to each UC and several union councils of Mardan were deprived of these quotas. In the Par Hoti area, two mills’ owners had allegedly obtained a quota of 100 bags in the names of two brothers.

Sources added that Food Minister Mohammad Atif Khan transferred DFC Mardan on a complaint of large-scale wastage of government flour in the district. The newly appointed deputy commissioner, Abdur Rehman, issued a notification stating that all flour dealers of Mardan, who had been approved previously, are hereby de-notified. A committee was also notified, including the officials of the district administration and food department, to scrutinise new applications of flour dealers in the district within five days.

All applicant dealers shall submit applications along with food grain license, two passport size pictures, CNIC card copies, electricity bills in the office of DFC for further process and scrutiny. Till the next notification, the supply of government subsidised flour to the general public shall be carried out as per food department notification No. 5098/inspections XIII. The distribution plan of subsidised flour shall be issued by the DFC office accordingly.