KP minister wants availability of subsidised flour ensured

PESHAWAR: Provincial Minister for Food Qalandar Lodhi, has said that Food Department provides wheat to flourmills at subsidised rate to give relief to the public by ensuring availability of wheat flour at fixed rates in the market.

During his surprise visit to various flourmills and wheat godowns of Peshawar division, the minister said that millers must ensure grinding of entire subsidised wheat quota daily so that cheap flour could easily be made available to the public at notified flour dealers established in districts across the province.

He also checked electricity bills of flourmills in the light of daily wheat quota. "Flourmills have to prove grinding of wheat by showing electricity bills. If flourmills cannot prove electricity bills in proportion to wheat quota, they will face wheat recovery, quota closure and severe fines as disciplinary action," Lodhi added.

Meanwhile, notices were issued to 11 flourmills in Peshawar, Nowshera and Charsadda for allegedly remaining nonfunctional despite getting wheat quota and directed them to ensure operation of grinding facilities as per rules or else wheat supply to them would be stopped after two days. Qalandar Lodhi directed his department officials at the district level to closely monitor flourmills, which received subsidised wheat quota but did not grind it.