September 18, 2008	Thursday	Ramazan 17, 1429

SHIKARPUR, Sept 17: Police returned a 13-year-old girl to her father after she fled home in Amil Mahar village and took refuge at Chak police station three days ago when she learnt her father had sold her to a 50-year-old man for Rs50,000, sources close to the matter said on Wednesday.

The sources said that Ms Farzana sought protection the Lakhi-Gate police station after learnt that her father Anwar Ali Lohar Mahar had sold her.

Lakhi-Gate police later handed her over to Chak police on grounds the incident had taken place in Chak police jurisdiction but they handed over the girl back to her father instead of helping her, the sources said.

Anwar Ali married away Ms Farzana to Master Tahir Mahar after getting her back from Chak police, the sources said. He drove away his wife from his house when she resisted the proposal.

PRICE-HIKE: Prices of almost all the food items have gone up in the district despite district administration’s fixing the rates with flour being sold for Rs27 to 28 per kilogram in retail.

Wheat flour is being supplied at the fixed rate of Rs23.50 per kg by the authorised dealers of flour mills as per notification issued by the Sindh government. It is being supplied to retail shops at the rate of Rs25 to Rs26 per kg in the open wholesale market.

According to a survey by this scribe, three flour mills and 30 registered chakkis are functioning in the district plus 15 other unregistered chakkis grinding wheat in the district.

According to sources in the office of the district food controller 1,330 bags of wheat are being supplied to each flour mill at the rate of Rs1,932 per bag as their weekly quota.

Likewise, 21 bags of wheat containing 100 kg each are being supplied as weekly quota for one stone (chakkis) by the District Food Department.

According to flour mill owners, wheat flour is being supplied to the wholesale dealers for Rs220 per 10 kg who were bound to sell it at the rate of Rs230 per 10 kg bag as retail price.

However, the flour mills owners have demanded that the Sindh government increase weekly quota of wheat from 1,330 bags to 4,500 bags in order to meet requirement of wheat flour in the district.

Wheat is being sold at Rs950 to Rs1,000 per 40 kg in the open market. There are also complaints that wheat flour being supplied from the utility stores was of low quality while ghee, sugar, tea and other items of daily-use are also being sold at high rates.

Dewan Bhagwandas, a former vice-chairman of Pakistan Flour Mills Association Larkana appealed the government to formulate an effective policy for supplying wheat flour from flour mills at the rate of Rs22 per kg to the wholesale dealers and make it binding on the dealers to sell flour at the rate of Rs22.50 per kg.

He suggested that shopkeepers be asked sell flour at Rs23.50 per kg.

Several social welfare and religious organisations have threatened to launch protest drive if the administration fails to bring down price of essential commodities.