HYDERABAD, May 2: In a surprise raid, a special task force of food department here on Sunday recovered a huge quantity of wheat stored in a ginning factory in Kotri site.

Sources told Dawn that the task force led by assistant deputy director food Saleem Siddiqui, raided the ginning factory and found 5,000 bags of wheat hidden under oilcake bags. The approximate value of the stock is around Rs6 million.

A food department inspector has been posted at the factory and instructions have been sought from higher authorities about disposal of the wheat and registration of an FIR.

The sources said that the food department had sought help from the Kotri police station which deputed a contingent. The in charge of the factory godown is reported to have told food department officials that the factory owners were setting up a roller flour mill in Hyderabad for which the wheat had been purchased in advance.

He, however, could neither show any permit or licence or any other documents authorizing the factory to store wheat. In another case, the food department with the assistance of Kotri police confiscated a truck carrying 190 bags of wheat. According to police sources, the wheat bags were being transported to Karachi in violation of section 144 CrPC.

DISPLACED FAMILIES: A large number of displaced Sindhi families staged a protest demonstration under the banner of the Sindhi Qaumi Saath outside the press club on Sunday against the inordinate delay in their rehabilitation.

Talking to newsmen, SQM leader Hafeez Qureshi said that the Sindh chief minister had stated on the floor of the Sindh Assembly on April 15 that 80 acres of land had been allotted in Qasimabad and 20 acres in Latifabad for victims ethnic riots.

He said that the chief minister had told the assembly that each affected family would be given 240 yards of land. Mr Qureshi appealed to the government to keep a provision in the ensuing provincial budget for the rehabilitation of families displaced in 1990 ethnic riots.