January 03, 2008	Thursday	Zilhaj 23, 1428

QUETTA, Jan 2: The price of flour has shot up in Balochistan and a 20kg bag is selling at Rs460-490 in Quetta and other parts of the province as against Rs260 fixed by the government.

Traders attributed the hike to a severe shortage.

Chief Minister Sardar Mohammad Saleh Bhootani in a meeting on Wednesday took serious notice of the shortage and price rise and directed the food secretary and district coordination officers to take action against hoarders and other elements behind the wheat and flour crisis.

The provincial administration has failed to ensure regular supply of flour to retail outlets and utility stores, thereby allowing shopkeepers to raise prices at will.

Sources said that flour could not reach Quetta from Sindh and Punjab because of the four-day shutdown following the assassination of PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto.

DCO Quetta Hafiz Sher Ali told Dawn that traders who bought wheat and flour from Sindh and Punjab did not get supplies during Eid holidays and then the Liaquat Bagh carnage and closure of roads for four to five days further complicated the situation. However, he said the situation would normalise soon.

Food Secretary Mohammad Azam Baloch, meanwhile said his department had 350,000 bags of wheat and another 1,000,000 bags were coming from other sources. He said that Passco had promised to supply 400,000 flour bags to help the province overcome the crisis.