ISLAMABAD, JAN 20 (DNA) — Ahsan Zafar Bakhtawari, President, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said that flour is the staple food of the people, but due to the wheat and flour crisis, the prices of flour have increased manifold in Islamabad like the whole country due to which the common man is facing great problems.
He said that the strategy of providing subsidized flour from specific points has not delivered the desired results as many people have to go without buying flour despite standing in long queues. He stressed that the subsidized flour should be provided to the people through shops in markets to ease the troubles of people.
He said this while talking to Deputy Commissioner Islamabad Irfan Nawaz Memon during a meeting with him along with a delegation including the representatives of Flour Mills. ICCI Senior Vice President Faad Waheed, Vice President Engineer Muhammad Azharul Islam Zafar, representatives of flour mills including Sheikh Tariq Sadiq, Abdul Rahman Khan, Chaudhry Mukhtar Ahmad, Dr. Muhammad Usman, Chaudhry Muhammad Ali, Ameer Hamza, Khalid Chaudhry, Saifur Rahman Khan and others were in the delegation.
Ahsan Bakhtawari said that the government should make all possible efforts to stabilize the prices of flour. He said that the flour mills of Islamabad are facing difficulties in procuring wheat from Punjab because sometimes their quota is reduced which not only makes the flour expensive but also affects the business of the flour mills.
ICCI Senior Vice President Faad Waheed emphasized that instead of Punjab, the government should supply wheat to the flour mills of Islamabad through Passco to save any flour crisis in the federal capital and keep the prices stable.
ICCI Vice President Engineer Muhammad Azharul Islam Zafar said that supply of required quantity of wheat to the flour mills is an important responsibility of the government and stressed that the government should evolve a system in consultation with the flour mills to ensure them regular supply of what in order to avoid any flour crisis in future.
Addressing the delegation, Deputy Commissioner Islamabad Irfan Nawaz Memon said that the flour crisis has been overcome in Islamabad due to the better efforts of the administration.
He said that in order to improve the supply of flour to the people, 50% of the quota is being given to the shops, while 50% will be provided through specific points, while the ban on the supply of flour would be lifted soon after the improvement of the wheat supply system.
He assured that efforts will be made to supply wheat to flour mills in Islamabad through Passco so that they do not face any shortage of wheat.
Sheikh Tariq Sadiq, Abdul Rahman Khan, Ch. Mukhtar Ahmed, Dr. Muhammad Usman, Ch. Muhammad Ali, Ameer Hamza, Khalid Chaudhry, Sai fur Rehman Khan and others also spoke at the occasion and gave useful proposals to overcome the flour crisis in the city. = DNA
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