Flour shortage hits fair-price points, market.

TOBA TEK SINGH -- People are suffering a great shortage of flour, not only at government's fair-price shops on a subsidised rate but also in the market at market price.

Long queues were witnessed at fair-price shops where each customer was sold a 10-kilo bag. Citizens complained that they were forced to buy flour at Rs160 per kilo from the blackmarket.

A number of people who spent hours purchasing subsidized flour complained that they had to return home empty-handed due to the food department's limited supply of flour bags at the fair-price shops.

They claimed some of the vested interest customers have made it a source of profit by getting a subsidy flour bag of 10 kg at Rs 648 but later selling it in the black market at Rs750 to 800. Most of the Utility Stores had no flour stock and their staff complained that very short number of bags were being supplied which end in just half an hour.

PML-N district president and former MPA Amjad Ali Javed blamed the Parvez Elahi government for creating an artificial scarcity of flour to provoke people to take to the streets to create a law and order situation.

CAVES IN: A portion of the dilapidated Evacuee Trust Department's building located in Gojra near general post office collapsed on Monday and as a result, a man and his wife who were residing in this building on rent were injured.

Rescue 1122 said this building was used before Partition as a Hindu temple. Both Abdul Hafeez and his wife Musarrat Bibi were rescued...