HYDERABAD, Dec 1: There is a great hue and cry in the city against the rise in prices of different varieties of baked bread but hotel owners are saying they increased the prices due to the inordinate increase in the flour price.

According to statistics collected by this correspondent from various hotels, the price of small Khamiri Roti has been increased from Rs2.50 per piece to Rs3 and the price of special Khamiri bread from Rs3 to Rs4. Similarly, the price of Sheermal and Taftan has been increased from Rs7 to Rs9, of Maida Paratha and Baisni Paratha from Rs10 to Rs12 and of Baisni Roti and Roghni Roti from Rs6 to Rs7.

When contacted by telephone, All Hyderabad Hotel, Sheermal, Pakwan House Association president Shahzad Umer said they were forced to increase prices of different bread varieties as flour mills had increased the price of flour without any notification by the government.

The association represents 980 hotels of the city.

Mr Umer said before Nov 20, they were supplied flour at Rs845 per 100kg bag and Maida (fine flour) at the rate of Rs900 per 100kg bag but now the prices of these items had been increased to Rs1,150 and Rs1,250 per bag respectively.

He further said they had been threatened with going on indefinite strike by workers who were demanding raise in their wages.

He feared that owners might be forced to close their hotels after two days.

Mr Umer said he had convened a meeting of the hotel owners to discuss the issue of the increase in the price of flour and the workers’ wages to find out solution to the problems.

Meanwhile, Hyderabad Chakki Owners Association president Nawaz Ali said a huge quantity of wheat was being transported to Karachi as the price of wheat in Karachi was about Rs300 more per bag than the price in Hyderabad.

He said wheat godowns normally remained closed on public holidays but he had observed that wheat was being supplied from Bolhari godowns to Karachi even on Sunday.

JSM: The chairman of his own faction of the Jeay Sindh Mahaz, Syed Zain Shah, has accused Punjab of usurping water and other resources of Sindh with the help of the army.