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Strike pushes up atta prices
KARACHI, April 28: The
strike being observed by the flour mills on
Tuesday further pushed up the retail price of atta
to Rs 14 and Rs 16 a kg, adding miseries to
people. Tuesday was the second day of the protest
by the flour mills. The millers are on strike
against suspension of licences to certain units by
the Sindh government.
In the wholesale market, wheat flour price
increased to Rs1,000 for an 80 kg bag on Tuesday,
adding miseries to people. The price of wheat
flour in wholesale increased to Rs12.50 a
kilogramme on Tuesday from Rs 11.87 on Monday,
showing a jump of 83 paisas in a day, and
wholesalers and retailers predict further increase
if no solution was found to the tussle between the
flour mills and the food department.
The immediate cause of millers strike has been
Sindh food department's suspension of licence to
seven flour mills in Karachi for their default on
replying to a showcause notice on over-charging on
flour. Millers also want unhindered transportation
of wheat from farmers in the interior of Sindh.
Mir Mohammad Parihar, the Sindh food secretary,
showed olive branch to the striking millers on
Tuesday and told Dawn that he was ready to
withdraw suspension orders of the seven mills
provided the owners offered an explanation.
"It is a matter of regulation of wheat and flour
trade and establishing the writ of a government
agency", he said, stressing that there was no ego
involved. Malik Naeem, a leader of Pakistan Flour
Millers Association, was not ready for any
reconciliation with the government because as he
said "we have filed a writ petition in Sindh high
court against provincial government's action of
suspending the licence to seven mills" and added
that let the court settle this issue.
He, however, admitted that "three or four" mills
are not participating in the strike and he gave
names of such mills. Market sources said there
were about 18 such mills which were not going
along with the strikers.
A group of more than a dozen millers is said to be
in touch with the Sindh food department to
finalize permit arrangements for wheat procurement
and transportation from the interior of Sindh.
Mohammad Shakeel, secretary-general of Karachi
Wholesale Grocers Group, said there was some
buying of floor in Jodia Bazar wholesale market on
Tuesday. If the strike continues, there could be
panic demand in retail market and could create a
crisis.
Situation could become serious if the strike
continues till week-end and next week when there
is a three-day holiday - May 1 being Labour Day;
May 2 Sunday and May 3 being Eid Miladun Nabi (PBUH).
Malik Naeem said the Sindh food and agriculture
minister tried to contact him on telephone to
apprise himself of the situation. He also led a
delegation of millers to meet the City Nazim,
Naimatullah Khan. The City Nazim has promised to
arrange a meeting of the millers with the chief
secretary.
The City Nazim is the first elected politician to
have intervened in the millers dispute. There has
been no move, so far, from the Sindh food
minister, the chief minister or the governor who,
otherwise, make a swift move in problems and
disputes.
The DAWN
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Pakissan.com; Advisory Point
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