By Amjad Iqbal
TAXILA: The food department Rawalpindi Division with assistance of Police and other law enforcement agencies during recent procurement drive 2023-24 until now has to foiled 796 bids to smuggle wheat from Punjab to KPK and confiscated as many as 16981 metric tons (MT) of wheat.
Briefing newsmen on Monday at interprovincial food check post Hattar road, the district food controller (DFC) Muhammad Ramzan Siyal has said that during the season, food department Rawalpindi district confiscated 147 vehicles carrying 3304.150 MT of wheat while confiscated 191 vehicles carrying 4176.400 MT of flour and lodged as many as 191 first investigation reports (FIRs). He added that Attock district food department confiscated 218 vehicles carrying 4439.550 MT of wheat while confiscated 56 vehicles carrying 1177.700 MT of flour and lodged as many as 56 first investigation reports (FIRs). He added that Jhelum district food department confiscated 94 vehicles carrying 2273.650 MT of wheat while confiscated 23 vehicles carrying 412.600 MT of flour and lodged as many as 23 first investigation reports (FIRs). He added that Chakwal district food department confiscated 266 vehicles carrying 5603.855 MT of wheat while confiscated 22 vehicles carrying 494.450 MT of flour and lodged as many as 22 first investigation reports (FIRs). He informed that Talagang district food department confiscated 71 vehicles carrying 1360.370 MT of wheat while confiscated 23 vehicles carrying 412.600 MT of flour and lodged as many as 23 first investigation reports (FIRs). He added that Chakwal district food department confiscated 266 vehicles carrying 5603.855 MT of wheat while confiscated 22 vehicles carrying 494.450 MT of flour and lodged as many as 22 first investigation reports (FIRs).
He further revealed that acting on tip off, Food Department official with the assistance of Police and other law enforcement agencies foiled three different bids of smuggling and confiscated sugar from Punjab to KPK as many as 180,000 kilograms of sugar.
He said that during the Anti-Smuggling campaign, many Mafias of Wheat as well as sugar Hoarders and Smugglers used various tactics to pressurize and blackmail the officials of the Food Department through press conferences, lobbing as well as publishing of fake news in newspapers in order to gain their vested interest, but the food department, with the assistance of district administration and law enforcement agencies, failed all smuggling bids without succumbing to any pressure from the said mafia.
