Fifth increase in a month causes street demonstrations; 80 kg bag of flour with an increase of Rs 1,000
PESHAWAR:
A sharp rise in petroleum product prices has triggered twin crises in Peshawar and across Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, massive hikes in transport fares and a skyrocketing cost of flour, while pushing angry transporters to take to the streets in protest.
On Saturday, dozens of transport operators gathered at the Hajji Camp terminal in Peshawar, chanting slogans and demanding an immediate reduction in petrol and diesel rates.
Addressing the rally, transport leader Zubair Ahmed Qureshi said the relentless price increases have “taken away even the courage to speak out.”
“CNG is not available on one hand and oil prices continue to rise on the other,” Qureshi told the protesters. “Eid is approaching, but hyperinflation has made it impossible to shop. Unemployment had already ruined the poor. This is a great oppression for the low-income class. Flour is now out of reach of the common man. More inflation means burying people alive.”
The protest came as shippers confirmed their fifth round of rate increases in a single month following the latest fuel adjustment. Air-conditioned vehicles saw the steepest increase, while fares for non-air-conditioned buses rose five percent. For traveling from Peshawar to Nowshera, Mardan, Abbottabad, Haripur, Swat and Malakand, fares have increased by Rs 50 to Rs 500. Long-distance passengers heading to Rawalpindi and Lahore now pay up to Rs 3,000 extra. City buses within Peshawar have increased minimum fares by Rs 10 to Rs 30, and goods transport vehicles have followed suit.
Meanwhile, the fuel crisis has also sent flour prices soaring. An 80 kilogram bag of flour has gone up by Rs 1,000 and is now selling up to Rs 10,000 from Rs 9,000. A 20 kilogram bag costs 200 to 250 rupees more. Premium flour has reached Rs 11,000 per bag. Consumers report that rising flour costs are causing a reduction in the weight of roti (bread) in local stores. Despite claims that red flour prices have remained stable, Afghan-run tandoor shops in Peshawar have been accused of reducing portion sizes and increasing prices unfairly.
Traders noted that flour prices started rising after a recent ban on inter-provincial movement from Punjab. With unemployment already high and Eid expenses looming, residents say the combined impact of expensive fuel, unaffordable flour and relentless tariff increases have pushed the city’s poorest citizens to the brink of survival.
