ATTOCK, April 14: On the directions of the district administration, residents of the district are being provided wheat flour (atta) at rate of Rs300 per 20kg bag through mobile sale points at the different areas to avoid any shortage of the commodity.

The measure has been taken after the flour shortage again hit the people few days ago when the mill owners and dealers squeezed the supply in the markets to earn more profit, despite the fact that they were being provided wheat quota by the food department, spokesman for the administration said.

Government has fixed ex-mill rate of atta at Rs290 per 20kg bag and its rate at the sale points is Rs300, whereas it was being sold at Rs300 at ex-mill rate and Rs310 to Rs320 per bag at the sale points, resulting in blackmarketing of the commodity and causing problem to the citizens.

Taking notice of the situation, the district administration took an immediate action and directed the all 36 flourmills owners on April 7 to ensure 80 percent supply out of their total official wheat quota in the local market.

The wheat flour supply had also been issued by the district administration to the flourmills owners to ensure daily basis supply of the commodity at the official price at their respective sale points in all the six tehsils - Attock, Fatehjang, Hasanabdal, Pindigheb, Jand and Hazro - of the district.

The district coordination officer (DCO) had also warned that in case of non-compliance of the directions, wheat quota and grinding license of the violators would be cancelled.

Besides deployment of the Rangers at the checkposts on main highways to stop atta smuggling to the NWFP, the district administration also deployed intelligence personnel to keep strict vigilance over the supply from wheat godowns to flourmills and from the mills to the main distribution and sale points, hoarding and its black marketing.

These measures proved helpful to defuse the atta crisis as its supply started to the public at the sale points, which have been set up for provision of commodity at the official price.

However, people continue to face hardships as they have to wait in long queues to buy the commodity at these points.

Also, the lack of flour supply in the open market and at retail shops is also causing problems to the people. The retail shops owners are complaining that they are not being provided the commodity in sufficient amount to cater to needs of the people.

They demanded of the district administration to provide to them the commodity at ex-mill rates.

When contacted, DCO Abdul Razzak Malik said that due to strict and timely measures of the administration the supply of flour to the residents had improved.

Earlier, some unscrupulous elements had tried to create the artificial shortage of atta but their designs had been foiled due to prompt action on the part of the administration, he added.

260 WHEAT, 131 ATTA BAGS SEIZED: During the checking led by the DCO and DPO Tariq Hanif Joyia, 260 wheat bags of 100kg each were seized in two trucks on the Bahttar Link Road on Sunday night .

According to the DCO, the wheat was being smuggled from Hafizabad district to the NWFP. Later, the truck drivers, Saleem Akhter and Zaheer, along with the trucks were handed over to the city police station, where a case against them was registered.

Meanwhile, 131 bags of atta of 20kg each were also seized by the staff at the Burhan Food Checkpost during the checking of a vehicle, which was on the way to NWFP. Police registered a case against the driver.