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Bahawalpur, Multan flour mills put off strike

RECORDER REPORT

MULTAN: Flour mills of Multan and Bahawalpur divisions put off their strike reportedly on the assurance of Director Food, Punjab, that all checkposts hindering smooth inter-district movement of wheat within the province are being withdrawn.

The Flour Mills Association of South Punjab threatened a couple of days ago, that if the administration did not remove 'unnecessary' pickets, set up for checking wheat smuggling, flour millers would stop lifting their quota from February 16, as a protest against the harsh attitude of law-enforcement agencies' officials deputed at these checkposts.

The association's leaders alleged that Punjab Police and Border Military Police (BMP) officials were forcing flour millers to become part of wheat smuggling racket.

As protest, flour millers stopped lifting wheat from food department godowns on February 11. Reportedly Director food, Punjab, Imtiaz Tajwar, invited the Flour Mills Assocation for negotiation and promised that all the "irritating" checkposts would soon be withdrawn.

Meanwhile, administration has taken record of some of the flour mills of Kot Addu, Muzaffargarh and Dera Ghazi Khan districts for scrutiny as these mills are, reportedly involved in wheat smuggling to Balochistan, NWFP and even to Afghanistan.

Similarly, a joint raiding team of Multan administration and food department checked record of a flour mill situated on Multan-Khanewal Road and recovered a sizable quantity of flour bags bearing fake brand names.