Atta crisis worsens due to government’s mismanagement

Rawalpindi: Atta crisis was increasing day by day, and the commodity is being sold in ‘black’ but all government functionaries are looking at the whole drama with closed eyes for over six to eight months. Now, the poor segment of society has been deprived of ‘Roti’ because millers are increasing ‘atta’ (flour) prices at their will. The Punjab government is yet to fix the ex-mill price of flour while millers are taking full advantage of government mismanagement and supplying a 20-kilogram bag of ‘atta’ at different prices between Rs2850 to Rs3050 in the open market.

In 2018 when Nawaz Sharif was Prime Minister, a 20-kilogram ‘atta’ bag was selling at Rs790. The Punjab government has left the public in a lurch and given a free hand to flour mill owners to loot poor people with both hands. First time in history, the Punjab government did not release the government quota of wheat to millers and as a result poor public was purchasing ‘atta’ in ‘black’ at skyrocketing rates for over six to eight months.

The flourmill owners have also stopped flour supply to Utility Stores in Rawalpindi and Islamabad for over a week. A 10-kilogram ‘atta’ bag was selling at Rs1420 here in government-run stores but the commodity is not available for over a week. Deputy Director (Food) Rawalpindi Region Ghulam Abbas Mehar told ‘The News’ that the Punjab government has not yet released the wheat quota to millers therefore public was purchasing flour at exorbitant prices. The flourmill owners were purchasing wheat privately from open markets therefore they were selling ‘atta’ at skyrocketing prices. “We are fully trying to convince Punjab government to release wheat quota to millers to reduce the prices of flour bags, he said. “If the Punjab government does not release government wheat quota to millers, ‘Atta’ will further increase its prices,” he warned.

Some three days back, a 15-kilogram ‘atta’ bag was selling at Rs2100 but now the same quality and same quantity bag is selling at Rs2250 on Thursday, thanks to the apathy of the Punjab government for seeing the whole drama with closed eyes.

The poor segment of society has appealed to the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) to take notice of the present situation in the country. The public is wandering here and there in search of sugar, ‘atta’, and other food items but caretaker governments are not considering people’s difficulties.