Upper Dir people complain of high flour prices

DIR: The people of Upper Dir district have complained of a hike in the prices of flour alleging that the wholesale dealers and profiteers have stored thousands of bags of the commodity at their warehouses since the partial lockdown was announced to contain the spread of the deadly coronavirus.

The price of 40-kilogram bags has been increased by 250 to 300 rupees per bags in Dir. Apart from the Dir town, the profiteers have also increased prices in Sheringal, Darora, Brawal, Wari, and other big and small towns of the Upper Dir. The shopkeepers alleged that apart from increasing the prices of flour, the dealers were not supplying flour to them. Two trucks carrying four were seized in Darora as the owners were selling the commodity at higher rates. It was learnt that the residents stopped the owners from moving the trucks until the arrival of officials of the district administration.

The Tehsildar Lar Jama and another official Sadiqullah later went there and resolved the issue between residents and owners by fixing the rates for flour the bags. The residents of Dir, Sheringal, Kalkot, Brawal, Wari, and other areas complained hike in the flour prices after the lockdown.

They said shopkeepers were selling each bag for Rs2,200 whose price was Rs1,900 only in the recent past. The residents asked Upper Dir Deputy Commissioner Khalid Iqbal Khattak to take immediate action on the issue and control the price of flour and other items of daily use.