October 09, 2008	Thursday	Shawwal 9, 1429

PESHAWAR, Oct 8: More than 15 per cent increase was recorded in the price of 20-kg flour bag during the past three days in the provincial metropolis, where most of the shops remained closed as Punjab stopped supplying the commodity to parts of Frontier.

Though, the flour supply was officially suspended from September 1 yet the dealers had managed to run their business by getting the commodity through other means. But now supply of flour from Punjab has totally been stopped.

Peshawar Whole Sales Food Grain Dealers and General Merchants Association acting president Sadaqat Ali told Dawn that three days ago 20-kilogram bag of fine atta was available at Rs740 but its current rate was Rs850.

Three days ago the price of 20-kilogram Punjab special atta was Rs660 and its present rate was Rs750, he added.

The price of local atta was increased from Rs620 to Rs700 and the low quality brown atta’s price soared to Rs490 from Rs460. But despite increase in the price the commodity is not available easily.

Commenting on the official distribution system of atta, he said that government had so far established six points in the city where people had to lineup in long queues. People standing in queues to get flour could be seen scuffling with each other, he said.

“About 90 per cent buyers in the long queues are fake customers. They get the commodity on official rate only to sell it in the black market. Only 10 per cent are needy people,” he added. He said that atta crisis would further worsen if the dealers’ quota was not restored. The supply of flour from the local floor mills, he said, was next to nil and they used to sell the commodity somewhere else.

An official of the food department, when contacted, said that they had no role in the distribution of atta. “We are supposed to check the illegal stockpiling of the commodity and make efforts for restoration of quota from Punjab,” he added.

He said that contacts with Punjab government for restoration of the flour quota had so far borne not result, however, the correspondence was still on. The official said that government should check atta smuggling to Afghanistan through the tribal agencies.

City district nazim Haji Ghulam Ali, when contacted, told this correspondent that the flour crisis was a challenge for the government but it could be overcome if regular supply was ensured to the nazims of various union councils in the city.

He said some 92 sell points had been announced on union council bases to atta on subsidised rates to people in the supervision of concerned nazim. “Thus the situation would be controlled within 20 days,” he hoped.

The demand of the people in Peshawar was 950 ton flour on daily basis while the current supply was 380 tons only. He said 1,800 bags of flour would be supplied to nanbais every day and the quota would be increased gradually.

The crisis deepened during the past two months and involving nazims in the distribution was the only option so that all and sundry could get the commodity equally, he added.