Bugti orders CMIT to review wheat stocks, seeks comprehensive report

Staff Report QUETTA: Chief Minister of Balochistan Mir Sarfraz Bugti on Wednesday directed the Chief Minister’s Inspection Team (CMIT) to review the wheat stocks available in the depot of the Food Department and submit a comprehensive report within two weeks. The chief minister directed the Secretary Food to provide full cooperation during the inspection. A meeting held here under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Balochistan decided to review the wheat storage. Provincial Minister for Finance Mir Shoaib Nosherwani, Provincial Minister for Food Haji Noor Muhammad Dummar, Chief Secretary Balochistan Shakeel Qadir Khan, Principal Secretary to CM Babar Khan, Secretary Food Muzaffar Zeeshan Lehri, Director General Food Department Jalal Khan and other officials concerns participated in the meeting. During the meeting, the Food Department officials briefed the participants on the available stocks of wheat in the government warehouses and requested the chief minister to give the approval of plan to sell the wheat purchased during the previous years before the new crop arrived in the market which in being cultivated. The Department was of the view that the price of wheat may fall further when the new bumper crop of wheat produced so the procured wheat should be sold in the open market by fulfillment of legal formalities in view of concerns about spoilage of the commodity. The chief minister expressed his displeasure over the lack of adequate storage arrangements for wheat procurement and said that when the department does not have sufficient capacity for safe storage, why so much wheat is procured which to be spoils. The Chief Minister of Balochistan ordered the CMIT to review the available stocks of wheat in the warehouses of the Food Department and submit a comprehensive report within ten days and decision would be taken on merit in the view of CMIT’s recommendations. Bugti said that the wastage of public resources was not tolerable, adding that the help of the farmers can be done by providing fertilizer and other support and wasting of resources in the name of wheat procurement should be stopped further. Meanwhile, CM Balochistan issued orders for the resolution of the complaint regarding bureaucratic hurdles on the complaint of Hub Chambers of Commerce President Ismail Sattar, on which the complainant was informed on the spot after resolving the issue. On Wednesday, during the Balochistan Business Investment Conference at the Karachi Federation Chamber, Hub Chambers of Commerce President Ismail Sattar drew the attention of the Balochistan Chief Minister to an issue that was being stalled by administrative officers. Bugti issued orders for the immediate resolution of the complaint, upon which during the ceremony itself, the Head of the Public Private Partnership Authority, Dr. Faisal Khan, called Ismail Sattar and informed him about the resolution of the issue, on which Ismail Sattar expressed satisfaction and thanked the Balochistan Chief Minister.