HYDERABAD, March 9: Local chakki owners have said all of the 234 chakkis (small grinding units) in the district are lying closed as the food department has failed to supply wheat to them.

Speaking at a news conference at the local press club on Tuesday, Atta Chakki Owners Social Welfare Association president Haji Nawab Ali and other office bearers clarified that chakki owners were not observing a strike but had to close their mills because of unavailability of wheat and harassment by consumers.

Voicing fears that riots could not be ruled out if the situation did not improve immediately, Haji Ali said two chakki owners had already been manhandled by consumers and added that the situation had been further aggravated owing to a complete ban on inter-taluka movement of the grain.

Ridiculing the statement of the provincial food minister that enough wheat was available in government godowns, he said the food department had not supplied any wheat in March as not a single grain was available.

He said the magnitude of the problem could be measured by the fact that the government had to adjust the prices of wheat four times in a single day as was evident from the procurement receipts given to chakki owners and added that the food minister should accept his incompetence and resign immediately.

The association president demanded that immediate arrangements should be made to supply wheat to chakkis and restriction on the movement of wheat should be lifted forthwith.

Haji Ali appealed to Prime Minister Zafarullah Jamali to appoint his own team to probe corruption in the distribution of wheat while alleging that tens of millions of rupees had been misappropriated in this regard. Earlier, a large number of chakki owners held a demonstration outside the press club to protest against the shortage of wheat.