PESHAWAR: Awami National Party MPA Samar Bilour has submitted a calling attention notice to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly about the recent increase in roti price by the Peshawar district’s administration without taking the price review committee on board.

Following the strike of nanbais of late, the district administration had fixed the price of 190 grammes roti at Rs15.

In a news release issued here on Monday, the lawmaker said the speaker of the provincial assembly should take notice of the issue as the price of roti had been increased in Peshawar by the administration without consulting stakeholders or calling a meeting of the price review committee.

She insisted that the decision about roti price hike was taken by the deputy commissioner in a closed room.

Ms Samar said the price review committee was authorised to fix or increase the roti rate and not the deputy commissioner or assistant deputy commissioner.

She said if stakeholders were not present in the meeting, the price review committee couldn’t take any decision about issues affecting the people.

The MPA asked the assembly’s speaker to take notice of the roti rate hike saying it adversely affects the common man.-

NANBAIS HELD: The district administration arrested 69 nanbais in different parts of the provincial capital on Monday for violating the official roti pricelist.

The arrests were made during a crackdown supervised by the deputy commissioner Mohammad Ali Asghar.

According to a statement issued by the administration here, the arrests nanbais were put behind bars for 15 days.

The deputy commissioner checked roti weight in Chowk Yadgar areas.

Different teams headed by assistant commissioner Sara Rehman, additional assistant commissioner PDA Rizwana Dar, EAC Sara Tawab Umer, EAC Inayatullah Khan, EAC Town-II Mina Zahir and EAC Asif Iqbal checked roti weight at nanbai shops in Bacha Khan Chowk, Dalazak Road, Hayatabad Township, Peshtakhara, Ring Road, Warsak Road, Pejagi Road and Kohat Road, respectively.

The deputy commissioner directed the raiding teams to continue with action against violators of the official roti pricelist and said such nanbais should be detained.

Nanbai association president Haji Mohammad Iqbal said he had held talks with the administration about roti price but members of the association demanded that the Rs15 roti weigh 175 grammes.

“We have requested the administration to provide us with wheat flour at subsidised rate so that all nanbais should follow the official price list strictly,” he said.

Published in Dawn, July 16th, 2019