Our Correspondents Burewala/Hafizabad
A bid to smuggle 65 metric tons wheat to Lahore was foiled and wheat worth Rs 4.3 million also seized.
According to details, 45 metric ton wheat filled into over 2400 bags loaded on trailer was being smuggled to Lahore last night through fake permit with alleged involvement of local food inspector/ junior analyst food grain and food controller.
Special branch team checked the trailer and informed the high ups and the bid of smuggling wheat foiled.
The wheat was confiscated and shifted to food department’s warehouse. Assistant Commissioner Burewala started the interrogation into the case.
Meanwhile, Assistant Commissioner Hafizabad Dr Muhammad Asif Nawaz raided seven godowns in Vanike Tarar and recovered 70,000 bags of wheat worth Rs 170 million, illegally stored there.
On a tip-off, the AC, along with officials of PASSCO, raided the godowns of Haji Khan Muhammad Tarar, Zaheer Ahmad, Ashfaq Ahmad, Mumtaz and Co., Zaheer Ahmad Cheema, Javed Ahmad and Shahzaib in Vanike Tarar and sealed the godowns in which the owners had illegally stocked 175,000 maunds of wheat, which would be shifted to the godowns of PASSCO.
Food department have procured 414,060 metric ton wheat against set target of 638,507 metric ton across Multan division which is 64.8 percent. The 5,15,809 metric ton gunny bags were also distributed among wheat growers so far which is 80.8 percent of the total target.
According to Food department official sources, the disbursement of the gunny bags and procurement of wheat on fixed price of Rs 1800 per mound was continued in a transparent manner across the division.
The all facilities were being extended to wheat growers at procurement centres while implementation on Corona SOPs also being ensured there.
The food department have distributed 1,51,295 metric ton gunny bags which is 80.2 percent of the total target while procured 1,31,250 metric ton wheat so far in Multan district.
Similarly, 82,730 metric ton gunny bags distribution in Lodhran with 86.4 percent ratio and 75,937 metric ton wheat procured, 78,844 metric ton gunny bags distributed in Vehari so far with 61.5 percent of the total target and 59,672 metric ton wheat procured so far.
Likewise, 2,02,940 metric ton gunny bags distribution with 88.2 percent has been completed so far at Khanewal district while 1,47,201 metric ton wheat was also procured.
The wheat procurement drive would continue till achieving the set target, the sources concluded.
