16 vehicles smuggling wheat impounded

Rawalpindi On the direction of Secretary (Food) Punjab, Deputy Commissioner (DC), Rawalpindi and Deputy Director (Food) with the help of police caught 16 vehicles of subsidized wheat/flour bags and arrested 10 smugglers who wanted to smuggle wheat and flour bags to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) here on Saturday.

The local administration confiscated 500 metric tons of wheat from smugglers and registered 9 FIRs against them. Police have caught the smugglers at Chakri Rest areas.

The vehicles were coming from Pindi Bhattian, Gujranwala, and Hafizabad. The vehicles were without legal papers and route permits.

The District Food Controller (DFC) Muhammad Sufyan Asif told ‘The News’ that the action was taken against smugglers on the information of sensitive agencies. We have registered total of 32 FIRs against wheat smugglers and registered 29 FIRs, he said.

He said that it was a big achievement of the department that 16 vehicles carrying illegal wheat and flour have been confiscated. The smugglers wanted to smuggle subsidised wheat and flour to KP, he said.

He said that Secretary Food strictly directed us to adopt zero tolerance over this issue. Our vigilance department is very active to point out illegal activities, he said.

He has categorically reiterated the department’s resolve to take stern action against such elements involved in illicit activity.

Some days ago, the local management and food department along with police confiscated 17 big vehicles filled with subsidised wheat and flour bags. The government officials recovered 10,128 wheat bags of 50 kilograms, and 3,055 flour bags of 20-kilogram from vehicles going to KP.

Punjab government formed the vigilance cell to stop the movement of wheat and wheat flour to avoid food scarcity in the province.

Punjab government has been trying to provide subsidised ‘atta’ for public and 10-kilogram bag is being sold at Rs400 in open market. But, smugglers are trying to smuggle subsidised ‘atta’ to KP where 10-kilogram bag is available at Rs800 and a 20-kilogram bag at Rs1600.

Deputy Commissioner (DC), Rawalpindi Tahir Farooq said that he will auction the confiscated wheat and flour in the open market to end the shortage of wheat and flour.