HYDERABAD, Feb 8: Consumers in Hyderabad continued to pay up to Rs10.5 higher rate than the officially fixed price of wheat flour on Friday amid a worsening shortage of the commodity owing to a two-day strike being observed by chakki owners to press the government increase their monthly quota of wheat.

As against the official rate of Rs34.5 a kilo, flour was selling at shops and other retail outlets of the city at Rs42-45 per kg while all 236 chakkis remained closed for a second consecutive day.

Atta Chakki Owners Social Welfare Association, Hyderabad, which has enforced the strike, on Friday hinted at extending the closure if the government did not respond positively to their demands, which also included a fair distribution of wheat to chakki owners, flour mills, traders and other stakeholders by the food department, and a check on corrupt elements who, the association alleged, charged Rs100 to Rs150 per 100-kg wheat bag at the time of releasing the quota.

Commenting on a statement attributed to the district food controller that talks with striking chakki owners will hopefully be held on Saturday and the wheat quota was likely to be increased, President of the association Jawaid Qureshi said that no official concerned had so far contact the association and that he was unaware of any scheduled dialogue at any level.

He said that chakki owners would definitely intensify their protest if their demands were not met, and warned that if the strike was prolonged, not only a serious shortage of wheat flour would hit the district but the price of flour would also go further up.

District food controller Masood Siddiqui, when contact on Friday, told this reporter that Shahnawaz Magsi, coordinator to Food Minister Nadir Magsi, was expected to hold talks with the association’s office-bearers on Saturday. He stood by his Thursday statement that chakki owners’ grievances would addressed through the negotiations.

Regarding the aggravating flour shortage and impact of the closure of chakkis, he said the ad hoc arrangement for maintaining supply of flour directly to consumers at official rates could not be made on Friday as flour mills observed Friday as weekly holiday. “All flour mills, from where stocks are obtained for the government’s mobile stalls observed weekly holiday today and, as such, flour sale to consumers through these stalls could not be arranged,” he said, adding that the mobile stalls would resume their operation on Saturday and continue it through Thursday.