CHITRAL: The Upper Chitral district is not likely to face any food shortages in the event of an extended winter in case of snowfall as the grain godowns of food department have enough stock of 45,000 bags of wheat with each weighing 100 kilogrammes.

District food controller Salim Iqbal told Dawn that the department had provisional rationing centres in 17 villages and sales points in 22 small hamlets, where wheat was made available to residents at subsidised rates. He said all these facilities had sufficient stocks.

Mr Iqbal said that this year, the sales point established in the remote Broghil village had rich stock of over 4,000 bags of wheat, which was quite sufficient for the local population till the arrival of the summer season, when the roads were reopened.

He said that every year, the godowns of the department remained short of stock during the winter season in the absence of replenishment due to closure of roads. Correspondent