BAHAWALNAGAR: Several videos showing subsidised flour bags being sold to shopkeepers in different parts of the city are available online.

On the other hand, long queues of buyers can be seen at Utility Stores and truck points for flour supply where crowds flout social distancing rules.

The videos of staff of a truck point selling subsidised flour bags to shopkeepers and loading it on a private rickshaw in Donga Bonga area of Bahawalnagar went viral on social media on April 1. The same day, the video showing subsidised flour bags being shifted from a truck parked near a petrol pump at Adda Gajiyani area to a private vehicle also made rounds on social media.

Local residents said that not only the truck numbers but also the people selling off the subsidized flour were identifiable. Residents of Donga Bonga who made the videos, Muneeb Raza, and other people of the area, said that they waited in long queues to buy flour at subsidized rates at a truck point when the staff announced stopping the sale of flour.

However, when they said that there were hundreds of bags of flour were still in the truck, the truck staff said that the quota of flour for the public had been sold, and the remaining bags were for government employees.

They said that on suspicion, some residents followed the truck on their motorcycles and saw that the truck stopped at a distance where the staff shifted bags to a rickshaw.

They said that the rickshaw then delivered the bags to dealers in the city. The residents said that they uploaded the videos on social media and also sent it to the administration.

The district is faced with a shortage of flour and Utility Stores and trucking points see large crowds of people and long queues of people, all in violation of social distancing, trying to get a bag of flour. The administration says that there is no shortage of flour because 31 truck points in the four tehsils of the district sell 23,712 bags of flour at government prices every day.

Residents of different areas complained that they found nothing but long queues and wait at the government flour points and they were forced to buy flour at higher prices from different stores.

They said that different f shops were selling flour at Rs50 and Rs60 per kg. Some residents said that they did not go to Utility Stores or truck points because of the fear of coronavirus.

Bahawalnagar Assistant Commissioner Munawwar Hussain Magsi said as there was no restriction of showing ID card, many people from a single family would buy flour bags and this caused a large crowd at truck points. He said some people were hoarding bags at homes. He said at some places there had been problems because of mismanagement. He said those coming to buy flour would be made to stand in a circle so as to avoid crowds and officials of police, food department, civil defence and agriculture department would be deployed there.

About the viral videos of Donga Bonga, he said investigation was going on. He said the food department had deployed food inspectors at these truck points and it was their responsibility to monitor these things. About the videos of Adda Gajyani, Mr Magsi said the truck supplied bags to Utility Stores but the relevant officials were blaming the Food Department for the mishap. He said that he was investigating the matter and those found involved would be punished.

Utility Stores Regional Manager Imtiyaz Hussain said that the truck in question did not supply flour to Utility Stores but it belonged to the food department and supplied 1,400 bags of flour daily from Fort Flour Mill, Fort Abbas, to Haider Stadium Bahawalnagar. He said that the number of the truck was visible in the video and it could be investigated.

District Food Officer Mahboob Alam said that because of the wheat procurement process, no official of food was present at the truck point and neither does the department monitor the supply of flour.

Published in Dawn, April 5th, 2020