Latest news with #PunjabFoodDepartment
Express Tribune
4 days ago
- Express Tribune
Massive wheat scam unearthed
Over Rs300 million worth of wheat has allegedly been embezzled from three procurement centres of the Punjab Food Department in Khanewal due to corruption, negligence and departmental apathy. Despite early warnings and internal reports, senior officials reportedly failed to take timely action. After the matter became public, authorities have now hinted at launching a formal inquiry. According to official sources, significant quantities of wheat have been misappropriated from three storage centers: 23,000 bags from Sardarpur Center, 27,000 bags from Kot Islam Center, and 13,000 bags from Bhatta Kot Center. During departmental checks prompted by public complaints, wheat bags worth more than Rs300 million were found damaged and decomposed. In some storage rooms, the wheat had turned completely black, and in certain piles of soil within the warehouses, wheat grains had even started to sprout. A sensitive intelligence agency in Punjab has identified three food centres in Khanewal and five in Multan where thousands of wheat bags have been misappropriated, and in some cases, the wheat has turned black. The agency has reported to the Punjab government that wheat worth Rs500 to Rs600 million has either been embezzled or spoiled. According to the report, when the Director in Multan exerted pressure on an inspector of one of the food centres, the inspector passed away, as he was facing a liability of Rs350 million in recovery. The food inspectors responsible during the time of the irregularities were: Malik Qasim and Ghazanfar Bhutta at Kot Islam Centre; Hasnain Siddiqui at Sardarpur Centre; and Rana Muhammad Sarwar at Bhatta Kot Centre. Sources fear that in addition to the negligence, a large quantity of good-quality wheat may have been sold in the open market, and blackened, unusable wheat mixed with soil was placed in the bags to cover up the theft. The wheat in question was procured in 2023 at the official rate of Rs3,900 per 40 kilogrammes. Despite being aware of the situation, the Deputy Director of Food Multan and the District Food Controller of Khanewal reportedly took no meaningful steps to address the issue. District Food Controller Muhammad Sufyan, when contacted for comment, acknowledged that some wheat had indeed spoiled. He attributed the spoilage to the ineffectiveness of the chemical treatment used for preservation. He claimed that an investigation into the matter is currently underway.
Express Tribune
24-02-2025
- Express Tribune
Controversy surrounding subpar wheat deepens
A new development has emerged in the ongoing controversy surrounding subpar wheat in Rawalpindi, revealing that the quantity of substandard wheat is far greater than the initially estimated 30,000 sacks. Among these are sacks that flour mills had paid for at the official government rate but later refused to accept due to their poor quality. According to sources, these sacks, numbering in the thousands, remain stored in warehouses. A year ago, the Punjab government transferred this wheat from production districts to food department warehouses in Rawalpindi to meet local demand. However, local food department officials allegedly adulterated the wheat with sand, soil, and water to increase its weight, severely compromising its quality, they said. As a result, local flour mills preferred to purchase imported wheat last year instead. Had the local authorities not tampered with the quality, the wheat could have been sold at high prices last year. Now, with this year's official wheat price being Rs1,800 per 40kg lower than the previous year, the Punjab government faces massive financial losses, including millions in interest payments. According to sources, food department staff artificially increased wheat weight by mixing in sand and water, allowing them to report inflated stock levels while selling the excess wheat in the market. Over the past two years, 3 million wheat sacks were allocated to local mills, each containing an estimated 5 to 8 kg of foreign substances to increase weight. This led to an estimated 300,000 sacks going missing, valued at more than Rs3 billion. These allegations are not new. Last year, similar complaints surfaced, prompting the then-Secretary of the Punjab Food Department to launch an inspection. A team, along with representatives from the flour mills, visited Rawalpindi's warehouses and confirmed the allegations. Additionally, 40 wheat samples were sent for laboratory testing, all of which were declared substandard. However, the inquiry was quietly shelved, and no officials were held accountable. The food department failed to forward the matter to Punjab's Anti-Corruption Department or NAB, instead opting to bury the issue. Sources indicate that the Punjab government is now considering withdrawing from wheat procurement entirely due to persistent corruption within the food department.
