Punjab Minister for Industries & Trade Mian Aslam Iqbal has said that flour crisis was artificial and few mill owners by utilising association were involved in this crisis due to their personal interest. These elements were sending wheat to Afghanistan by getting from the government on subsidised rates.
He said that a subsidy of Rs 9.5 billion was given on flour during Ramazan in previous regime. People were searching subsidised flour and these elements were busy in minting money. Present government has removed undue subsidy on flour and saved more than Rs 7 billion of the poor nation which was painful for ‘atta mafia’. Government will not be blackmail by these elements and will not allow them to commit dacoity on the pockets of poor people.
Mian Aslam expressed these views while talking to complainant and media in open court at Samnabad here on Thursday. He listened to the complainants for about three hours and issued on the spot orders for the redressal of the grievances.
The minister said that public service and resolution of the peoples’ problems was our top priority. Under the direction of the chief minister, provincial ministers were holding open courts on regular basis and these open courts were source of resolving people’ problems at their doorstep, he added. ‘It is sad situation that people are compelled to contact provincial ministers and politicians for the redressal of their problems due to obsolete system’. He said, ‘If institutions resolve problems of the people than they will not have to approach us’.
He said that forgery of atta mafia was being exposed regarding subsidy on flour. Now, this atta mafia has increased the prices of fine flour. No one will be allowed to collect illegal profiteering, federal and provincial governments were monitoring the situation strictly.
Answering a question, he said that due to corruption and dual standard of the N-League, its parliamentarians were distancing themselves from it. ‘That is why Hamza Shehbaz is talking to keep open their windows and doors’.
