Flour crisis will be controlled by Wednesday, claims Sindh CM

KARACHI (92 News) – Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has said that the flour crisis will be controlled by Tuesday or Wednesday. Talking to the media on Sunday, he said that the Pakistan Agricultural Storage and Services Corporation (PASSCO) had allocated 300,000 tons of wheat. “The wheat supply was delayed due to strike of transporters,” he said. The CM said that there is a question mark on their performance if the flour crisis is in Sindh only. “The prime minister is incompetent if it is unavailable across the country,” he added. He said that the Sindh government is giving a big subsidy on flour. On Sunday, shopkeepers were selling flour at Rs70 per kg in Punjab and Sindh. Under the prevailing situation, tanoor owners are pressing for increasing the price of flour and ‘naan’ at a high rate. The Flour Chakki Association secretary general said that they would sell flour at Rs64 if the government would give them quality wheat at Rs1,850 per maund. He threatened to close the ‘chakkis’ if the government forced them to sell flour at a low price. On the other hand, the district administration said that trucks have been parked at 20 points to ensure the sale of flour. The flour which was available at Rs1,800 per maund a fortnight ago is being sold at Rs 2,800 per maund. Citizens are of the view that other food items are available in the market, but the flour price has skyrocket. “Should we provide food to our children or give the rent of our houses?” they questioned. Meanwhile, the federal government has announced an operation against profiteers. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Information Shaukat Yousafzai said that there is no flour crisis in the province. “The strike of bikers is beyond understanding despite the provision of flour at subsidized rates,” he said. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Imran Khan has taken notice of the increase in the flour price. He has assigned the task of reducing the flour price to Jahangir Tareen and Khusru Bakhtiar. He directed the both figures to consult the chief ministers of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in this regard.