Chief Minister Usman Buzdar has warned hoarders of strict action on Friday.
CM Usman Buzdar in his statement said he will not tolerate any shortage of edible items including flour in the province. “We have surplus stock of wheat”, he added.
He made it clear that those found in hoarding will be dealt with iron hands and no one would be spared in present situation the country including province is passing through amid threat posed by coronavirus outbreak.
Buzdar directed to ensure supply of wheat flour on the rates set by the government. Last week, CM Usman Buzdar had announced to recruit 10,000 medical staffers including doctors, nurses and paramedics aimed at tackling the coronavirus outbreak.
He had said that they have imposed section 144 in the province and a cabinet committee is overseeing the efforts to deal with the virus on daily basis. “We have also formed a committee on school holidays and lowering fees of private schools and will ensure that the guidelines issued from the province are followed,” he said.
A delegation of Pakistan Flour Mills Association (PFMA) led by its Central Committee Chairman Asim Raza called on Chief Minister Punjab Sardar Usman Buzdar at his office here on Friday and presented a donation of 31 thousand flour bags worth 2.5 crore rupees to the provincial government for distribution in the penurious population.
The CM thanked the delegation and told that a comprehensive strategy has been employed to counter this pandemic while making every effort to improve the supply of flour and other food items. There are ample wheat reserves in the province while the new wheat crop is also ready, he said. Increase in flour mills’ wheat quota will be examined while there should be no hurdle in the supply of flour, he added. He assured to take steps for stabilizing the flour price to ensure its availability at the fixed rate. The people should not face any difficulty as there is no shortage of wheat or flour in the province, he appended.
The PFMA delegation appreciated the steps being taken by the Punjab government for dealing with coronavirus pandemic and assured their full support in this regard. The PFMA will not let any shortage of flour in the province, they added.
Chairman of PFMA’s Punjab Branch Abdul Rauf Mukhtar, Director Food Punjab and others were also present.
Chief Minister Punjab Sardar Usman Buzdar condoles the loss of lives due to falling off the roof in Arifwala and extended sympathies to the bereaved heirs. In a condolence message, he prayed to Allah Almighty to rest the departed souls in eternal peace. He also sought a report from the administration and directed to provide best treatment facilities to the injured.
US Ambassador Paul W Jones has assured of every possible cooperation to Chief Minister Punjab Sardar Usman Buzdar to deal with the coronavirus.
In a letter, the Ambassador said his country stands with Pakistan in the fight against coronavirus and added the US has termed Pakistan as a priority country for emergency coronavirus assistance. The US is providing assistance for overcoming epidemics, he further said.
In this regard, the chief minister appreciated the US cooperation adding that coronavirus is an international pandemic which requires coordinated efforts for dealing with it.
Chief Minister Punjab Sardar Usman Buzdar has expressed a deep sense of sorrow over the death of an elderly patient in Mayo Hospital and sought a report from the minister and secretary health. He directed to hold an impartial inquiry for taking action against those responsible for this negligence. Such an incident cannot be tolerated, asserted the chief minister.
