KARACHI: An indefinite strike announced by flour millers entered its second day as they sought an urgent meeting with Chief Minister Sindh Syed Qaim Ali Shah to resolve their issues.

Pakistan Flour Mills Association (Sindh Chapter) chairman Chaudhry Mohammad Yousuf informed the chief minister through a letter that his association wanted to talk on current wheat procurement season 2014-2015, bottlenecks and harassment to flour millers.

Meanwhile, Provincial Minister for Food, Jam Mehtab Hussain Dahar, while talking to a delegation of Karachi Atta Chakki Association (KACA) on Wednesday, said that all atta chakkis in Karachi have permission to bring wheat from designated districts Larkana, Qambar Shadadkot, Dadu and Jamshoro into Karachi.

The delegation, led by its general secretary, M uhammad Anees Shahid, told the food minister that there were 800 atta chakkis in Karachi, working “in the interest of the people”. Due to the measures of food department, there was no wheat shortage, he said. On the occasion, they announced deduction in prices of chakki atta, according to a handout of Press Information Department, Sindh.

But Mr Shahid expressed surprise over the handout issued by Press Information Department. “I have been in Islamabad since Monday and will be back on Thursday. My name is wrongfully quoted in the Sindh government’s handout,” he said.

KACA President Abdul Sattar said that actually food minister had held meeting with Karachi Huller Association who purchase, clean and sell wheat to the chakki owners.

On reduction in chakki flour prices, he said that a few days back chakki owners had reduced the wholesale and retail rate of chakki flour to Rs45 from Rs48 and to Rs47 from Rs50 per kg, respectively, in view of frequent supply of wheat and its price reduction. Now the situation has changed and chakki owners have not yet further cut the rates.

“If we get wheat at lower rates then we will definitely bring down chakki flour prices,” he said.

Meanwhile, a trader said so far there is no shortage of flour in the wholesale market but he feared serious flour crisis looming in case millers keep their operations closed for a few more days and wheat arrival from interior Sindh remains suspended.