December 21, 2003	Sunday	Shawwal 26, 1424

Please Visit our Sponsor (Ads open in separate window).

KOHAT, Dec 20: The district government has set up its own Tandoors to provide bread to the people at controlled rates following the strike by Nanbais’.

Local restaurants were selling a Nan for Rs6 against the government-fixed price of Rs4, taking undue advantage of the indefinite strike initiated by Nanbais after the district administration refused to accept their demands on Wednesday.

Restaurant owners defended their over-charging, saying they were charging more as they had to bring in bread from Darra Adam Khel and Hangu districts. With a lot of marriages being fixed beforehand, the people also have no option but to buy bread from these areas.

The Nanbais have been calling for raising the price of a 120-gramme Roti be fixed at Rs4 but the district government was insisting on raising the weight of bread to 150 grammes if they wanted the government to raise the rates.

Meanwhile, chief of the Nanbais Association Lal Khan speaking at a protest meeting held at the Company Park here on Saturday said it was impossible for them to sell a 150-gramme Roti made of extra-fine flour at Rs4.

He said sometimes they had to purchase fine-quality flour from black market, adding if the government wanted to impose its decision, it should not compel them to use high-quality flour.

Naib district Nazim Haji Sardar Khan had said that the government had set up its own Tandoors to overcome the problem faced by the people.

Terming Nanbais’ strike unjustified, he said that they were trying to blackmail the government.

The people have appreciated the district government’s decision and called for strict action against Nanbais.

They said a majority of Tandoors, including those run by Afghan refugees, were unheedful of repeated warnings by the government, were charging Rs4 for a 90-gramme Roti for a considerable period of time.