HYDERABAD, Sept 9: Due to wrong policies of the Sindh food department, Hyderabad is once again faced with an acute shortage of wheat and if the department failed to release the full quota of wheat to chakki owners, they will be forced to close down their chakkis.

President of the Atta Chakki Owners Social Welfare Association Haji Nawab Ali said this while addressing a news conference at the press club here on Tuesday.

He said that during the first week of September, the chakki owners were supplied 48 bags of wheat per chakki and wheat flour was made available to people according to government rates.

However, for the second week of September, orders were issued by the food department to reduce this quota from 48 bags to only 17 bags which was 65 per cent less, he said.

Obviously, he said, the requirements of the people of Hyderabad could not be met with this meager supply of wheat.

He said they had refused to lift the quota of 17 bags per chakki as they could not meet the public demand and warned that if the chakki owners were compelled to close down their mills, the responsibility of the consequences would squarely rest upon on the shoulders of the Sindh food department.

He said wheat flour was a staple food and added that they had failed to understand why the food department had evolved such a negative policy during Ramazan.

The rates of the wheat have already increased by Rs150 to Rs200 per bag just within two days due to the wrong policies of the food department, he said and added that hoarders were being encouraged by the Sindh food department.

He said that for the last 50 years, the chakki owners were supplying nutritious wheat flour to the people without extracting Suji and Maida but the officials of the food department were totally oblivious to this fact.

Our Dadu correspondent adds: Flour mills and atta chakkis observed strike in Dadu district on Tuesday protesting reduction in their wheat quota. The strike has resulted in shortage of flour as it was being sold for25 to 30 per kg.

The atta chakkis were receiving 48 bags of wheat in a week but their quota was abruptly reduced and now the food department was issuing 17 bags of wheat to one atta chakki in a week.

On the call of Flour Mills Association Dadu, owners of flour mills and atta chakkis observed strike and suspended their operation throughout the district.

A large number of flour mills and atta chakki owners staged protest demonstrations in Dadu city.

Their leaders alleged that food officials had sold wheat to big traders, and it was transported to other parts of the country. He said that if the flour mills and atta chakkis remained closed for few more days, flour price would shoot up to Rs50 per kilo.

A large number of citizens also staged demonstration against Utility Stores administration and alleged that flour was not available there.

They alleged that in-charges of Utility Stores were selling flour to private shops and appealed to higher authorities to ensure availability of flour on government fixed rates.

DFC Dadu, Mohammad Hassan Bhutto, however, said that reduction in wheat quota was made by senior officers of the department.