ISLAMABAD, Oct 26: Naanbais and Tandoorwalas in the city have decided to increase the price of Naan and Roti by Re1 - from Rs5 to Rs6 from Monday.

It would be the fifth rise in the price of staple bread in the past 18 months. The last time it was increased was in August.

"They had been pushing us for quite some time to allow them increase the price but we consistently rejected their demand as unjustified," Islamabad's Deputy Commissioner Amir Ali Ahmed told Dawn on Sunday.

However the defiant bread-makers are likely to have their way as the recent increase in the support price of wheat announced by the government would have weakened the local administration's resolve to keep the price line.

Islamabad administration had been able to hold that price line by temporarily arranging with the flour mills to provide wheat flour without bran (fine Atta) to the Tandoorwalas on subsidised rates.

Government may find it difficult to maintain that subsidy after the big jump in the wheat support price from Rs625 per 40kg to Rs950.

Before the increase in support price was announced, dealers used to sell a 85kg bag of wheat flour to the Tandoorwalas and Naanbais at the subsidised rate of Rs2,200. Now the same bag costs them Rs3,000.

An office-bearer of the Naanbai Association Islamabad (NAI), who did not wish to be named, said the local administration should allow a Re1 raise in the price of Roti in sympathy with the increase in the prices of wheat flour and gas.

He said the association members had no choice but to increase the price of Naan after the gas tariff increased by 15 per cent and the flour mills increased the price of "fine" flour from Rs1,950 to Rs3,000 per 85kg bag.

"We will soon hold a meeting with the bread-makers to discuss the emerging situation," a local administration official said when asked for comments.

Meanwhile the federal capital is receiving only half of its wheat flour needs due to inadequate supply of wheat by the Punjab Food Department.

Islamabad requires 26,000 flour bags of 20kg every day but is supplied only 14,000 bags. The local administration has written several times to the Punjab government to increase the supply of wheat to the city.