No sugar, no atta — Utility Stores customers returning emptyhanded

ISLAMABAD: There is an acute shortage of sugar at the Utility Stores Corporation (USC) outlets as the poor consumers are returning back empty handed. The flourmills owners also stopped ‘Atta’ supply on subsidies prices to USC outlets due to no-payment to flourmill owners in this regard.

On the other hand, USC management has claimed to supply 900000 kilogram sugar to stores across the country on daily basis. The Utility Stores Corporation (USC) Senior General Manager (Procurement) Tariq Shamsher told ‘The News’ that we are supplying 900000 kilogram sugar in stores across the country on daily basis. We are supplying enough sugar and atta to all areas but it was the duty of concerned Zonal Managers (ZM) to distribute the commodity on equal basis, he said. He said that we have decided to sell sugar on three category packets of 1-kilogram, 2-kilogram and 5 kilogram. “Nobody could buy over 5 kilogram sugar from USC outlets,” he said.

However, public has bemoaned the apathy of the USC management for failing to provide ‘sugar’ and ‘atta’. Sugar was not available in stores for two weeks while ‘atta’ for five days. The sugar is sold at Rs68 per kilogram while a 20-kilogram bag ‘atta’ is sold at Rs800. The sugar in open market is selling at Rs80 to Rs85 per kilogram while ‘atta’ bags at Rs850 to Rs900.

The sources said that USC management not paid payments to flourmills therefore owners stopped supply for five days. The Utility Stores Corporation (USC) Senior Manager (atta) Anwar Baloch said that we are continuously paying payments to flourmills to ‘atta’ supply. It was the duty of concerned Zonal Managers and Regional Managers to send ‘atta’ bags to stores, he said.

The store managers on anonymity said that public abusing us due to absence of ‘sugar’ and ‘atta’. How they could manage this situation,” they said. They said that we face harsh attitude of public in absence of sugar and ‘atta’.

Talking to ‘The News’ the people (customers) strongly condemned USC saying this public welfare department was the only ray of hope for them in this hard time but they are hopeless now. They said that they are continuously visiting the USC outlet to buy sugar and atta but have to return empty handed.