Kamran Ali Shah
Peshawar High Court (PHC) has admonished the food department over the flour crisis in the province and said that government and the department were playing spectator over the flour crisis.
The court was hearing the case of flour crisis on Thursday and secretary food department along with director general food and other officials appeared before the bench. Chief Justice PHC Justice Qaiser Rashid Khan questioned the secretary food whether his department existed and what its utility was.
He said that the department and government were acting as mere spectator in flour crisis.
Chief Justice said that people were going from pillar to post and government should take all steps to provide relief to masses.
“People are asking government for flour not butter but government was not one bit worried and price of less weight roti has also gone up due to flour crisis,” the CJ said.
Secretary food department informed the bench said that flour prices have decreased in the provincial capital and a bag of 20 kg was now costing Rs 2,400. On this CJ asked the officer as to where 20 kg bag of flour was available for Rs 2,400?
CJ also asked the officer to go and check where in Peshawar and KP, 20 kg bag of flour was available for Rs 2.400.
Besides, the CJ also directed the additional deputy commissioners to reduce the roti rate to Rs 20 from 30 and also check its weight. He also directed the food department and district administration to visit market and report to court after checking flour and roti prices.
The court also sent senior lawyers along with district administration and food department officials to check flour prices in the markets of provincial capital. Following the visit, secretary food informed the court that flour price has come down by Rs 500 per bag. Besides, he said that they have also increased the millers’ quota. In addition to this, he said that flour and wheat prices have also reduced in Punjab and it was likely to bring down the price of flour bag of 20 kg to Rs 2,400.
CJ also said that poor people could not purchase expensive flour at Rs 2,400 per bag. Besides, the CJ also questioned the officer about flour trucks heading to Afghanistan; however, the officer informed the court that flour from the province was not going to Afghanistan. He said that the flour going to Afghanistan was from the World Food Programme.
District administration informed the court that they have registered 63 FIRs against overpricing of flour and roti and also sealed three flour mills and imposed Rs 700,000 fines.
Senior lawyers accompanying the food department and the administration told the court that flour dealers have informed them that Punjab has turned the Attock into international border. Besides, they said that Punjab police and food department officials were not allowing trucks carrying flour without bribes.
Following the hearing and report, the court directed the food department to submit a detailed report on this issue within a week and set the January 19 for next hearing.
Secretary food KP Mushtaq Ahmed told reporters following the hearing that KP annual food and wheat requirements stood at 5.1 tonnes of which the province produced 1.2 million tonnes while the remaining amount was procured from Punjab and Pakistan Agricultural Storage and Services Corporation (Passco). He said that flour price fluctuation in Punjab also affected prices in the KP and they were also taking steps to bring down prices in line with court directions.
