PESHAWAR: The Nanbai Association Peshawar called off the strike on Tuesday evening as the district administration agreed to reduction in the weight of Rs10 roti.

The development comes during a meeting of the association leaders and officials of the district administration at the deputy commissioner’s offices here.

Nanbai association president Haji Mohammad Iqbal told Dawn that 115 grammes of roti would be sold for Rs10 and 170 grammes’ for Rs15. Currently, the 130 grammes roti is sold for Rs10.

“We had demanded Rs10 rate for 100 grammes of roti and Rs15 for that of 150 grammes but the administration didn’t accept it,” Mr Iqbal said.

An official told Dawn that the meeting was chaired by assistant commissioner Sara Rehman and attended by trader leaders as well.

Two mills sealed for selling flour on black market

The revised roti prices are likely to be notified today (Wednesday).

Deputy commissioner Peshawar Mohammad Ali Asghar told Dawn that two flour mills had been sealed, while and their official wheat quota was cancelled because they were selling the official flour on the black market.

The mills located on Charsadda Road in Budhni area were sealed during checking by a team of officials headed by assistant commissioner Shah Alam and Dr Ihteshamul Haq.

The deputy commissioner said the administration had allotted flour quota to 262 dealers in parts of the provincial capital so that the consumers could purchase flour at controlled rate in their respective areas.

According to an official statement, the nanbais announced an end to the strike during a meeting with assistant commissioner Sara Rehman.

AC Islahuddin, ration controller Aftab Umar, trader Shahid Khan, consumer council representative Malik Iftikhar, nanbais’ leaders Haji Iqbal, Astana Gul, Khaista Gul and others were also present on the occasion.

On the second day of the nanbais’ shutter down strike, the people struggled to find roti.

The makeshift food outlets exploited the situation by selling a Rs10 chapatti for Rs30-Rs40.

The people, who had no arrangement to bake roti at home, said they had to buy the costlier chapatti in Hayatabad, Fawara Chowk and Hashtnagri areas and at various bus stands.

They said the administration did not pay any heed to inflated price of chapatti, so the owners of food outlets overcharged them, including commuters.

Owners of some restaurants in Peshawar city told Dawn that they had brought roti from Sarband and Batatal areas in suburbs of Peshawar for customers.

The students living in the hostels of University Town, Board area and Faqirabad also complained about the unavailability of roti and said they struggled to find the staple.

Published in Dawn, January 22nd, 2020