RAWALPINDI, Nov 14: On one hand Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif is opening Sasta Tandoors where Roti is being offered for Rs2, while on the other Tandoorwalas in Rawalpindi city are accusing the government officials and elected representatives of being involved in flour theft.

“Over 90 per cent Tandoors are not provided with flour and the government officials in connivance with local parliamentarians are involved in flour theft which is supposed to be provided only to Tandoorwalas,” the general-secretary of Naanbai Association Rawalpindi city, Mohammed Shafique Qureshi, said.

Mr Qureshi, who works for the rights of over 3,800 Tandoorwalas in the city, told this reporter that the Naanbais would observe strike in case they were not provided their flour quota.

He said the food department was providing flour only to those Tandoors which were located in congested areas just to show the people that Sasta Tandoors were running in full swing. “I request the top government officials to spare a time and visit some 3,500 Tandoors in the city which are not being supplied with the subsidised flour. Give us flour and we will sell Roti for Rs2 in the entire city,” he added.

Under the chief minister’s Sasta Tandoor programme, flour would be supplied to Tandoorwalas for Rs250 per 20kg against market rate of Rs410 in order to offer Roti to the people for Rs2.

However, District Food Controller Babar Khan said his department was supplying 6,000 to 7,000 bags of flour to Naanbais daily, saying that there was no truth in their ‘propaganda’.

On the other hand, Tandoorwalas allege that since the flour supplied to them was 100 per cent cheaper than market rates, the government officials and elected representatives were selling their quota of flour in the open market, adding that they were getting the commodity only in papers.

“We would move the court against the administration in case we are not given flour. In the absence of subsidised flour, we sell the commodity according to the market price, and then we are pressurised by the government to sell Roti for Rs2,” Mr Qureshi complained.

He appealed to Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif to take notice of the issue and punish those people who were involved in flour theft.