MIRPURKHAS, Dec 20: Failing to find flour, cooking oil and ghee, from eight utility stores set up in the city, people are compelled to purchase these commodities at higher rate from the local market.

The government had established these USC outlets in the city which were running short of stocks. Most of the people are compelled to buy these commodities on higher rates from the market causing additional burden to their budget. They have demanded of the government to ensure availability of sufficient quantity of these commodities at the utility stores.

In Shikarpur, flour price has gone up from Rs16 to Rs22 per kg amid shortage of wheat.

The consumers have demanded of the Sindh government to take notice of the price hike and ensure availability of flour, ghee and other items of daily consumption at an affordable rate to the people.

In Hyderabad, District Nazim Kanwar Naveed Jamil held a meeting at his secretariat on Thursday which discussed ways and means to control the flour shortage and its price, reports our Hyderabad bureau.

Speaking on the occasion, the nazim said that artificial shortage of flour and increase in its price would not be tolerated at any cost because the government had supplied ample quantity of wheat to the mills.

He said that to provide immediate relief to the people, 82 flour stalls have been established at different points of the district and the supply of flour from the utility stores has also been doubled up to 100,000 kg per day.

He also appointed a district monitoring committee to check the shortage and submit its report. He said if positive results were not achieved within the next few days, then the movement of wheat outside the district would be stopped under section 144 CrPC.