Sindh cuts wheat release price by Rs500 to Rs4,500 per 40kg

The Sindh Cabinet on Tuesday approved a Rs500 cut in the release price of wheat, taking it from Rs5,000 to Rs4,500 per 40kg, Sindh Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon told a press conference in Karachi after the meeting. He said the reduction should bring flour prices down by about Rs17 a kilogram.

Memon, who holds the information, transport and mass transit portfolios, said the cabinet also approved a $1 billion urban development investment programme for five divisional headquarters, covering water supply, drainage, sanitation and solid waste management. It granted ex-post facto approval to an Asian Development Bank-supported programme for preparing the investment plan.

The cabinet approved an additional Rs502.409 million for five development schemes in Jamshoro district, including the Sehwan city water supply scheme and the installation of reverse osmosis plants. It approved a Rs2.993 billion scheme to improve water supply and drainage in Nawabshah town, Shaheed Benazirabad district.

It approved the registration of the Lady Dufferin Hospital Trust under the Sindh Trust Act 2020, and draft rules for 2026 on registering and monitoring charitable organisations under the Sindh Charities Registration and Regulation Act 2019. A cabinet committee will draw up legislative proposals on katchi abadis and recommend a one-window operation for matters relating to them.

On infrastructure, Memon said 75 percent of construction on the Ghotki-Kandhkot bridge over the Indus had been completed under a public-private partnership. He said the provincial government would bring legislation to set up a Traffic Management Authority for Karachi, alongside a smart traffic management system for surveillance and enforcement.

Action would be taken against vehicles with illegal number plates and against armed men travelling in plain clothes, he said. The owner of such a vehicle would be arrested along with the guard. Underage driving and one-wheeling continued despite bans, he said, and the laws were in place but not being enforced.

Asked about political gatherings, Memon said all parties were free to hold meetings within the Constitution and the law but needed prior permission from the relevant authorities. He ruled out permission for any MQM rally on Shahrah-e-Faisal. "MQM should listen carefully: permission for a public gathering on Shahrah-e-Faisal will not be granted under any circumstances. The party will not be allowed to repeat incidents like May 12," he said.

On the demand for new provinces, he said the Sindh Assembly had already adopted its position and no law or decision could override its authority. He criticised the MQM leaders Mustafa Kamal, Farooq Sattar and Khalid Maqbool, saying they had not won direct public support.

Memon said the government had announced financial assistance for the families affected in the Tharparkar ambulance incident and had provided them immediate relief. He said President Asif Ali Zardari was visiting development projects across Sindh to review progress. More than 100 electric buses are expected in the province by the end of November, double-decker buses will follow, and work on the Red Line BRT depot was progressing, he said.