LAHORE: The Punjab government on Saturday continued its crackdown on smuggling and hoarding of wheat in the province, ARY News reported.
In line with the government’s efforts to tighten the noose against smugglers and hoarders, the local administration of the Dera Ghazi Khan recovered 10,000 wheat sacks, while 5,000 wheat bags were recovered from Bahawalnagar and Layyah respectively.
In a separate action in Multan, 20,000 bags full of wheat were seized and the accused were taken into the custody.
Punjab’s senior Food Minister Abdul Aleem Khan said the provincial government is taking stern action against the hoarders of wheat and he is monitoring the process by himself.
Khan ensured that there would be no shortage of wheat in the province.
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Last week, the Punjab government had conducted raids in Attock, Chiniot, Piplan, Sadiqabad, Multan, Hafizabad, Sargodha and Mandi Bahauddin.
A bid to smuggle wheat via Indus River was also thwarted and scores of sacks full of grain were taken into custody.
Punjab Senior Minister Abdul Aleem Khan had said the government would not allow anyone to create an artificial shortage of basic food items by hoarding. Those indulging in such practices in the fasting month of Ramazan are the country’s enemy, he maintained.
