MIRPURKHAS, Jan 29: The price of flour has risen and it is being sold at Rs13 and Rs14 per kilogramme because 'chakkis' of the district are not getting their usual supply of wheat.
The situation has also led to the closure of several 'chakkis'. Owners of 'chakkis' held a protest demonstration at the Post Office Chowk on Thursday under the banner of the Mirpurkhas Taluka Chakkis Association.
Led by the president of the association, Abdul Rasheed Talli, the protesters demanded that the government should ensure immediate supply of wheat quota to 'chakkis'.
They said the crisis would deepen if they were not supplied wheat. Mr Talli said he had informed higher authorities about the situation but to no avail.
Wheat Crop: The Sindh food secretary has said his department will start procurement of wheat crop in Mirpurkhas, Badin and Tharparkar districts from Feb 15.
The secretary, Mir Mohammad Parhiar, said wheat procurement centres would be set up at union council level where gunny bags would be provided to growers and payment to them would be made on the spot.
He stated this while presiding over a meeting of elected representatives, growers and owners of flour mills in the Jhuddo town on Thursday. Mr Parhiar directed officers of the food department to ensure the provision of facilities to growers in wheat procurements in villages.
He said committees, comprising growers, Nazims and flour mills owners, for wheat procurement would be formed at taluka level by Feb 10. MPA Mir Zulfiqar Talpur, Tharparkar District Naib Nazim RamsinghSodho and deputy food director Ghulam Mohammad Kalyar were also present on the occasion.
Inquiry: The police have begun an inquiry into maltreatment of a newspaper hawker and snatching of newspapers from him in the premises of the Mirpurkhas Civil Hospital on Wednesday.
The ASP, Mirpurkhas city, Saleem Arain, recorded statements of Dr Saleem Raza Memon, Dr Asghar Arain, journalist Manak Laghari and the hawker, Ghulam Shabbir.
He also called two paramedics, who had allegedly beaten up the hawker at the behest of the civil surgeon and another doctor at the civil surgeon office. The hawker was manhandled while selling a Sindhi newspaper which contained a news of corruption of administrative officers of the hospital. The ASP would submit his report to the DPO.