March 18, 2008	Tuesday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 9, 1429

HYDERABAD, March 17: The city’s chakki owners observed strike on Monday in protest against reduction in quota of wheat they received from the Food Department and imposition of fines by magistrates on charges of violating officially fixed rate of a kilogram of flour.

The chakki owners announced they would take a decision on calling off the strike on Tuesday morning after holding negotiations with a five-member district food committee in the office of district officer revenue.

They announced closure of chakkis in the district on Sunday against surprise visits by magistrates who imposed fine on them for selling flour at the rate more than the officially fixed price of Rs16.50 per kilogram.

The district nazim asked the food committee comprising four union council nazims and DO of revenue Sajjad Hyder to hold talks with chakki owners.

The chakki owners argued that since their quota had been reduced they were forced to buy wheat from open market and sell it at rates between Rs20 to Rs22 per kilogram.

Acting on media reports about rise in flour prices, the district government directed the mukhtiarkars to pay surprise visits to bazaars and retailers and impose fine on the violators of official rate.

The revenue mukhtiarkars found during the drive that wheat at some shops was being sold between Rs19 to Rs22 per kg and retailers were ready to show them the bills, proving that they had purchased 10 kilogram of flour at the rate of Rs18 per kilogram or so thus they were earning a profit of only Re1 on per kilogram of flour.

The revenue authorities, however, plainly told the retailers that they had to abide by the officially-fixed rate and nothing else. “They may not sell flour if they are unable to sell it at Rs16.50 per kilogram,” said a revenue officer when talking to a retailer on phone.

The committee told the owners that if they violated the official rate they would be prosecuted under the law. Not all the violators were fined but many were just issued warnings so that they should be careful in future.

Deputy Director of Food Lal Khan Jatoi said that quota of wheat for chakkis had been reduced. The department would start procurement following the arrival of new crop.

He informed that currently 40 bags of wheat were being given per stone against the quota of 62 per stone. “For a very brief period the supply stopped till the wheat was transported to Hyderabad from Gwadar and now 1,700 metric tons of wheat had been received out of 10,000 metric tons of allocation by the government for the city,” he said.

The leader of Atta Chakki Owners Association Haji Nawab said that the committee had sought time to solve the issue in two days in consultation with district nazim. The association had not called off the strike, he clarified.

“We will take a decision at 9 am on Tuesday when all the other chakki owners will be present in the district food controller’s office,” he said.

He accused magistrates of harassing chakki owners and said their employees were being picked up in their absence.

There was a deficit of 22 bags per stone in the quota of each chakki.