HYDERABAD, Oct 9: The Atta Chakki-Owners Social Welfare Association has appealed to the Sindh chief minister, the adviser for food and agriculture and agriculture secretary to announce the wheat policy.

In a joint statement issued here on Sunday, the president of the association, Haji Nawab Ali, vice-president Haji Mohammad Rafique and secretary-general Haji Mohammad Hafeez said the wheat prices in the open market had increased by Rs100 on a bag of 100kg with the advent of Ramazan which was being sold at Rs1,060 before the holy month.

They blamed the provincial food secretary for their misery and said it was due to his wrong policies that they had not received wheat yet.

They said the food department had achieved the target of wheat production and even then they were not releasing wheat to the chakki owners.

The association was of the view that the wheat hoarders were taking advantage of the situation.

They claimed that Punjab had announced the reduced prices of wheat much before Ramazan.

They said the Punjab government had also ordered the supply of wheat to owners of chakki before the holy month so that people would not suffer.

The office-bearers said that 78,000 bags of imported wheat had spoilt in the Bulhari warehouses in the Jamshoro district.

They called upon the Sindh chief minister and authorities of the food department to announce the wheat policy and ensure supply of wheat to the chakki-owners.

FINE: Mukhtiarkar and Judicial Magistrate of Latifabad taluka, Rashid Mehmood, here on Saturday paid surprise visit to various markets and fined 21 businessmen for over-charging on fruits and other edible items.