DADU, March 20: People and political activists staged demonstrations in Dadu, Johi, Khudabad and other towns on Thursday in protest against officials of Utility Stores for not selling cooking oil, flour and items to common man.

Protestors appealed to Chairman Utility Stores Corporation to take notice of commodities being sold to private shops by Utility Stores officials.

They alleged officials of closing these stores within an hour of the opening with refusal to sell flour, cooking oil, sugar, pulses and other daily use stuff. They demonstrated outside Utility Stores Dadu.

A consumer Munawar Hussain said officials of Utility Stores were selling important items to shopkeepers as when he visited Utility Store at Katchery Road they had closed it in early hours and refused to sell any item.

Another consumer Saeed Ahmed Memon showing receipt said he paid Rs2,170 to in-charge Utility Store of UC-3 on March 12 for purchasing oil, ghee, sugar and flour but neither officials provide these items nor were returning him the money.

He said he visited the Regional Manager Utility Stores and Incharge Main Store but nobody met to record his grievance.

He said it was routine for officials to sell consumers items of Utility Stores to private shops which was affecting poor people as they were unable to purchase these items from shops. He demanded to investigate the record of 52 Utility Stores of the district.

A protest was also held outside the Utility Store in Johi town. Akbar Lashari said officials sell sub-standard items while rest goes to shopkeepers against high commission.

Consumers also protested in Mehar, Khairpur Nathan Shah and Bhan and Khudabad against officials of Utility Stores.

CRIME: The crime rate has increased at Indus Highway and different towns of Dadu and Jamshoro district as people feel unsafe to travel from Nooriabad to Dhamrah Wah.