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Flour mills’ strike continues for second day
KARACHI, April 28:
Families of at least 5,000 daily-wages workers of
the flour mills face problems as 75 per cent mills
out of total 70 observed strike on the second
consecutive day on Tuesday.
The mills were protesting against the ban on
inter-district movement of wheat in Sindh.
Millers said that each flour mill employed at
least 100 daily-wages workers, who would not be
given their wages till the end of the strike.
"The mills will remain shut on Wednesday too," a
miller said.
Meanwhile, another group of flour millers, called
the Association of Chakki Owners and Ration
Merchants have joined hands with the government in
making the strike ‘ineffective’ by supplying
sufficient flour, said their representatives who
met with the food department officials on Tuesday.
Akbar Lassi, owner of National Flour Mills and
head of a group of flour millers told this
correspondent that he had support of some 25 flour
mills that would resume their business by
Wednesday. In addition to this, at least 17 flour
mills did not take part in the strike on Tuesday.
A meeting of the group rejected the strike call
made by the Pakistan Flour Mills Association (PFMA)
Sindh Circle as the provincial government allowed
the millers to buy required wheat from interior
Sindh.
Lassi said that the provincial food secretary had
assured him that there would be no restriction on
flour millers of Karachi buying wheat for grinding
purpose.
Seventeen mills that operated on Tuesday included
National Flour Mills, Madina Flour Mills, Banoo
Flour Mills, Shams Flour Mills, Qureshi Flour
Mills, Sarosh Flour Mills, Aftab Flour Mills,
Three Star Flour Mills, Junaid Flour Mills, Yousuf
Flour Mills, Sawera Flour Mills, Mussarat Flour
Mills, Masoom Flour Mills and System Flour Mills.
Mohammad Anis Shahid, General Secretary Karachi
Atta Chakki Association told The News that they
had joined hands with the government against the
‘unofficial’ increase in atta prices by the
millers.
"A total of 3,876 Atta Chakkies are operating in
the city, among them 234 are registered with the
Sindh Food Department and were getting official
wheat quota," he said.
Anis said that these Chakkies could grind up to
6,000 tonnes of wheat per day, and they could
fulfil the demand of atta in the city.
A spokesman of the Sindh Food Department claimed
that at least 18 flour mills were not
participating in the strike from the first day,
while some other mills resumed grinding on the
second day.
Malik Naeem, Provincial Vice Chairman of PFMA said
that they met with Naimatullah Khan, the City
Nazim, who assured them to take the matter before
the Chief Secretary within a couple of days.
"The Sindh food secretary has faxed a letter,
inviting us to discuss our problems with the
director of the department," Malik said.
The Sindh minister for food and agriculture has
also sought suggestions to cope with the
prevailing situation in the city. "It seems no one
was serious to hear us as they were even unaware
of the situation," Malik added.
The News International, Pakistan
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Pakissan.com; Advisory Point
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