Utility stores without essential items as Ramzan approaches

CHITRAL: Since the PTI came to power in Islamabad in Aug last year, supply of essential commodities to the outlets of Utility Stores Corporation of Pakistan in Chitral remains suspended.

Now as the holy month of Ramazan is about to begin, people in the district have called upon the authorities to provide essential daily-use items in these outlets so that they can have some relief in the month.

The residents of Chitral town and villages in remote areas are forced to purchase kitchen items such as tea, sugar, flour, daal and cooking oil from the market at higher rate.

The federal government has announced a Rs2 billon Ramazan package to provide relief to the masses through the utility stores but so far this relief has not been extended to Chitral.

On the other hand, the outlets in Chitral are closed due to unavailability of the items and the staff has been protesting to save their jobs.—Bashir Hussain Azad