Manan Mandokhail:
QUETTA: In Balochistan, the flour crisis worsened as per kilogram of flour is being sold at Rs. 150 in the open market. “This government has snatched the bread from us”, Muhammad Ali, a customer trying to get flour on subsidized rates lamented. The 20-kilogram flour bag is available at Rs.3000 in Quetta and other parts of Balochistan.
The provincial government failed to provide flour to the masses at official prices. “We have nothing in our treasury and we cannot provide any subsidy”, Zamarak Khan Achakzai, the Balochistan Food Minister said. The minister blamed the federal and Punjab governments for their failure to provide wheat to Balochistan.
Chief Minister Balochistan, Mir Quddus Bizenjo has also written a letter to the federal government to support the province in the acquisition of wheat quota from Punjab and the federal government. “They are not responding to our CM”, Mr. Achakzai said.
He said, “we cannot provide even Rs.2 billion. subsidy”.
The Food Minister appears to be helpless regarding the flour crisis and said that the federal and Punjab governments were not providing any wheat to Balochistan. Flour mill owners complained that the food department has failed to provide them with the required wheat quota. “This is an alarming situation and our mills are empty”, Badruddin Kakar, the central leader of the Balochistan flour mills association said.
The Minister lamented that Punjab provided only 10,000 out of 400,000 bags of wheat to Balochistan.
“This government is least bothered about the plight of poor people”, Nizam Khan, a citizen told Daily Quetta Voice. The masses have lashed out at the Balochistan government for its failure to address the flour crisis.
“The food department is complicit in creating a flour crisis”, Nizam Khan claimed. He said long queues of people can be witnessed outside all utility stores across Balochistan.
“Very few fortunate people get flour”, he said. Last year, the Balochistan government failed to purchase wheat because of a political crisis. This created a worsening flour crisis.
