RAWALPINDI:The Food Department Rawalpindi and district police have foiled 11 bids to smuggle 8,745 bags and 12 tonnes of wheat flour during the last three days.
According to a district administration spokesman, the authorities of the food department along with Naseerabad police conducted raids and rounded up 11 drivers namely Akhtar, Noor Zaman, Syed Ahmed, Muhammad Ali, Adil, Ahsanullah, Najum ud Din, Zaidullah, Syed Bali Shah, Tahseen and Riaz on recovery of 8,745 bags and 12 tonnes of wheat flour.
He informed that the accused was trying to smuggle wheat flour bags out of the Rawalpindi division.
The Food Department Rawalpindi and district police on the directives of the Deputy Commissioner and City Police Officer, Rawalpindi were strictly monitoring all the exit points of the district to foil wheat and flour smuggling bids, he added.
He further informed that the administration had distributed 2,956,487 free flour bags among poor and deserving families in the Rawalpindi division.
The administration on the directives of caretaker Chief Minister Punjab Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi continued free flour distribution here late Sunday night and achieved the target successfully.
He informed that 11 mega centers were set up in Rawalpindi district to provide free flour to the citizens.
All-out efforts were made to ensure smooth distribution of free flour bags among the poor and deserving citizens and no untoward incident was reported in Rawalpindi, he added.
The distribution of free flour continued till the 25th Ramazan, he said and informed that the administration was also taking strict action in accordance with the law against profiteers and hoarders.
The administration had imposed fines amounting to over Rs 4 million on 1325 profiteers while 318 shopkeepers were sent behind the bars for profiteering and not displaying the rate lists.
The spokesman informed 23 FIRs were also lodged against profiteers and hoarders.