May 14, 2008	Wednesday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 8, 1429

TOBA TEK SINGH, May 13: The high incidence of inter-district movement of wheat has alarmed the administrations which are taking measures to check smuggling and bring the culprits to book.

In the latest development on Tuesday, the Toba Tek Singh administration has put the officials from many departments at the disposal of the food authorities to man check posts set up to stop wheat smuggling to other districts.

District Coordination Officer Chaudhry Muhammad Ashraf told a meeting that officials from forest, agriculture and police departments had been deployed at 13 check posts set up in the district to apprehend wheat smugglers. Besides, several monitoring teams had been formed in all tehsils to keep an eye on hoarders.

District Food Controller Rai Naeemullah informed the participants that 70 per cent of the wheat purchase target had already been achieved in the district.

SAHIWAL: The police claimed to have seized 6,854 wheat bags (100 kilogram each) from hoarders. It is learnt that a food department official is also involved in hoarding at Kameer.

The district police have established nine check posts to arrest wheat smuggling. A special force is watching out for any illegal hoarding.

The police have recovered hoarded stocks of wheat from brokers of Kasowal and registered a case against them under the Price Control Act. Muhammad Akhtar, an assistant food controller, has been booked for hoarding 1,254 wheat bags.

Five trucks, carrying 2,000 wheat bags, were checked at Jehan Khan and Gamber check posts.

SIALKOT: The District Food Department and police seized 600 flour bags being smuggled to Afghanistan near Begowala check post.

District Food Controller Muhammad Rohail Butt told newsmen that the truck was being driven to Afghanistan when the food department officials, assisted by the police, foiled the bid by arresting the two smugglers.

He said officials also raided several private godowns in Sialkot, Daska and Pasrur and recovered more than 6,000 bags of wheat illegally stored by the dealers. The police had registered 29 cases under the Foodstuff Act during the last week and arrested 23 hoarders, he added.

VEHARI: A raiding team of the district administration, accompanied by the food department officials, seized nearly 6,000 wheat bags from godowns.

The team, led by DCO Capt Muhammad Khurram Agha, raided various godowns at Muslim Town, Tariq bin Zayed Colony, Pakhi Mor and others areas and seized nearly 6,000 wheat bags and took the hoarders into custody.