KHAIRPUR, Oct 8: There has been no letup in the prices of daily-use items, including wheat flour, vegetables, fruits and yoghurt, which have remained exorbitantly high since the beginning of Ramazan up till this day.

Wheat flour is being sold at Rs16 per kilogramme, ordinary apple at Rs50 to 60 per kg and prices of potatoes, onions and other vegetables range between 30-40 and up. Yoghurt is being sold at Rs40 per kg whereas cooking oil at Rs90 to Rs95 per kg, according to a market survey conducted on Monday.

Shahbaz Dino Phulpoto, a labour leader, said that flour was being sold at Rs16 per kg in the main markets and cooking oil at Rs90 to Rs95 per kg while the same were being sold at higher rates in the town’s colonies and adjoining areas. The items meant for utility stores were also being sold at private shops in the market, he added. Sufi Ishaque Soomro and Arbelo Kalhoro, who head large poor families, complained that vegetables were being sold at higher rates whereas fruit prices especially ordinary apple had gone up to Rs50 to Rs60 per kg.

They said that yoghurt was being at Rs40 per kg during the holy month of Ramazan. Wheat flour purchased from utility stores was not of good quality, they said.

The flour mills deviate from the officially rate of Rs14 per kg of flour on grounds that the mills have to include transportation charges also.

Social workers, Shakir Shah, Athar Siddiqui, Salam Malik, Akbar Abbas Zaidi said that people were facing shortage of flour in the market and cooking oil at utility stores for past three days. The wheat flour being sold at utility stores was of poor quality but the cooking oil was of very good quality, which had led the store to cerate an artificial shortage of oil. Fine quality apple were available at Rs25 per kg before Ramazan.

They accused the utility stores of creating artificial shortage of daily use items as Eid was drawing near.

On the other hand, fruit and vegetable vendors said that they just had to pass on the high prices at which they buy fruits and vegetables from wholesale market of Sukkur.

They complained that there was no check and balance at wholesale market. Besides they had to pay transportation charges to bring vegetables and fruits to Khairpur, they said.

Our Mithi correspondent adds: Flour, vegetables, fruits and other kitchen items continue to be sold here at high rates as there is no check on prices under the local government system.

Though government functionaries claim that they are adopting measures to provide wheat flour at control rate to consumers, it is being sold for Rs17 to Rs18 per kg at Chakkis (small flour mills) and at the rate of Rs18 to Rs20 at grocery shops. However, it is rarely available at the Chakkis.

The food department supplies only 11 bags of wheat to a Chakki per week which is grinded and the flour sold within two or three hours.