PESHAWAR, April 9: The flour crisis has deepened in the NWFP and there are reports that in parts of the province, the price of a bag of flour had reached Rs5,000.
Taking advantage of this situation, profiteers are fleecing the common people while in some areas the bakers (nanbais) were demanding revised prices of bread (roti). Residents have demanded of the new government to take notice of the situation.
MIRAMSHAH CRISIS: The price of an 80-kilogram flour bag has risen to Rs3,000 in parts of North Waziristan tribal region, sources in the local markets claimed here on Wednesday.
Official rate of the permit for per bag flour was fixed at Rs20 which is now being sold at Rs150. The raise in the price of permit has also increased the prices of a flour bag from Rs2,800 to Rs3,000 during the last two days.
Local flour dealers alleged that the political administration had issued flour permit to a single person which affected prices of flour in the region. “On the other hand frequent smuggling of flour to the neighbouring Afghanistan has also caused shortage and surge in flour prices,” they added.
In the tribal region, respective political agents issue permits to local dealers to import edible items from settled areas. There are 26 registered dealers in the region.
The dealers said that the political authorities had banned issuance of flour permits to the locals and had authorised an ‘individual’ to import flour from the settled areas.
They warned that they would observe shutter-down strike if the administration did not review its decision. They claimed that dealers had deposited required amount in banks to obtain flour permits but they had been directed to withdraw their money.
However, when Assistant Political Officer Tasleem Khan was approached, he expressed ignorance about the allotment of flour permits to a single person.
Sources said that the political agent had sufficient stock of flour.
KHAR STRIKE: Local bakers went on strike in Khar and other towns of the Bajaur tribal region on Wednesday demanding increase in the price of bread.
Political authorities have rejected their demand and arrested 15 nanbais in Khar, Bajaur regional headquarters.
They shut their tandoors to protest against the arrest of their colleagues and demanded raise in the price of rotti.
Officials said that local nanbais were demanding increase in the price of roti after surge in flour prices in the local market. They said that nanbais had increased the price of roti without permission.
Meanwhile, the nanbais said that the administration had assured that flour would be supplied to them on subsidised rate but the promise had not been fulfilled so far.
KARAK CRISIS: The price of flour has increased manifold in the district and local flour dealers are violating the official rates. According to reports, a 20-kilogram bag of flour was being sold at Rs520 against the official rate Rs320.
They further informed that a 40-kilogram flour bag was being sold at Rs1,040 in the open market and still there were long queues of residents to get a single bag of flour. People complained that the interim government had fixed the rate of wheat in a wrong time as the new produce had not come to the market so far and their miseries had increased. They said the government had miserably failed in control the skyrocketing price hike which had broken the backbone of the poor people.
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