The Punjab government has decided to enforce wheat ban on food factories for 30 days, until October 3, to increase the supply for human consumption. The Secretary of the Interior of Punjab imposed this restriction under section 144 (6) of the Code of Criminal Procedure 1898.
“The use of wheat in the manufacture of food by food mills in the province of Punjab is prohibited in the broader public interest,” the provincial interior secretary, Zahid Akhtar Zaman.
Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure allows the district administration to issue orders in public interest that can prohibit an activity for a specific period of time. Such prohibition is applied by the Police, which records cases against violations. The punishment can carry a maximum penalty of six months in prison and/or fine.
With Punjab that now enters its third week of floods, thousands of crops acres have been destroyed and food prices are expected to increase throughout the country.
According to the order issued by the Secretary of the Interior, wheat will only be used in flour mills for flour production. The government has taken this step to the light of the apprehension of a possible shortage of wheat in the province.
Feed Mills in Punjab currently stock of 104,184 metric tons of wheat. According to a report by the Secretary of Control Proprice, the feed factories were using wheat for corral birds.
The notification issued by the Department of Origin establishes that the prohibition will remain in force until October 3.
The order has been published through the use of the Gazette, the official newspapers and the media to improve public awareness, said Punjab’s department of origin.
