PESHAWAR: Due to a lack of check and balances by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government and district administration, the prices of basic food items have increased manifold in the provincial capital, Peshawar.
According to a flour dealer in Peshawar, Fahad Khan, the supply of wheat to Punjab Flour Mills has been suspended by the government, due to which there is a further risk of flour shortage in KP.
He that the provincial government should immediately take steps to deal with the crisis and raise the issue with the Punjab government to avoid blockage of wheat and flour supply to the province so that food prices remain under control.
He further said that due to the ongoing inflation, people have lost their purchasing power due to which traders are also facing a lack of customers and added financial difficulties.
It may be mentioned here that due to a shortage of flour and an increase in its prices, bakers have announced a protest on Tuesday to fix the price of bread at Rs20-30.
Meanwhile, the KP Food Department has compiled an investigation report saying thousands of official sacks of flour are being sold in the markets instead of being provided to deserving families.
Arif Khan, a resident of Peshawar, said that the daily increase in prices of food items in has put the people in a difficult position. He said that the district administration has adopted complete silence on the price-hike. “Prices of vegetables, fruits and pulses have skyrocketed due to the continuous rise of the dollar and rising prices of petroleum products. Tomatoes are being sold at Rs200 per kg,” he lamented.
He further said that government employees, low paid workers, and daily wagers are worst hit by the crisis and indebted to shopkeepers due to limited resources.
As per details, chicken meat is available at Rs241 per kg, eggs at Rs200 per dozen, milk at Rs140 to 160 per kg, ginger at Rs430 to Rs500 per kg, ghee is being sold at Rs360 per kg, gram at Rs190, and rice at Rs160 in the open markets of Peshawar.
Similarly, the prices of basin, onion, potato, ginger, cauliflower, green chilies, peas and other vegetables have also gone up exponentially, going beyond the reach of the common man.
