Uniform wheat rate a distant dream
Hundreds of wheat bags still missing from procurement centres
PHOTO: REUTERS
LAHORE:
Despite tall claims of implementing a uniform rate of wheat across the province, the authorities have failed to ensure the government’s rates as substandard wheat was being sold in the open market. As the government restricted the supply of wheat to other provinces, cases of hundreds of missing wheat bags emerged along with bags filled with sand for audit.
Even in the provincial capital Lahore, wheat is being sold between Rs47-Rs52 in different areas. Recently, the Anti-Corruption Establishment detected theft of over 1,700 wheat bags from the procurement centre. The value of missing wheat is estimated to be over Rs10 million. Upon receiving the information, an Anti-Corruption Establishment team raided a warehouse of the food department in Dera Ghazi Khan and arrested Food Inspector Idress Bughlani. The suspect had filled the wheat gunny bags with sand.