Fifth hike in a month sparks street protests; 80 kg bag of flour up to Rs1,000
PESHAWAR:
A sharp rise in the prices of petroleum products has triggered a twin crisis in Peshawar and the entire Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, a massive hike in transport fares and a skyrocketing price of flour, while pushing angry transporters onto the streets in protest.
Dozens of transport operators gathered at Hajji Camp terminal in Peshawar on Saturday, chanting slogans and demanding an immediate reduction in petrol and diesel rates.
Addressing the gathering, transport leader Zubair Ahmed Qureshi said incessant price increases “have taken away even the courage to speak”.
“CNG is not available on one side, and oil prices keep increasing on the other,” Qureshi told the protesters. “Eid is approaching, but hyperinflation has made shopping impossible. Unemployment had already broken the poor. This is a great oppression of the low-income class. Flour is now beyond the reach of the common man. More inflation means burying people alive.”
The protest came as carriers confirmed their fifth round of fare increases in a single month following the latest fuel adjustment. Air-conditioned vehicles saw the biggest increase, while fares for non-air-conditioned buses jumped 5 percent. For travel from Peshawar to Nowshera, Mardan, Abbottabad, Haripur, Swat and Malakand, fares have increased by Rs 50 to 500. Long-haul passengers to Rawalpindi and Lahore now pay up to Rs 3,000 more. Peshawar city buses have increased their minimum fares from 10 to 30 rupees, and goods vehicles have followed suit.
At the same time, the oil shock also caused flour prices to skyrocket. An 80 kilogram bag of flour jumped by 1,000 rupees, now selling for up to 10,000 rupees from 9,000 rupees. A 20 kilogram bag costs between 200 and 250 rupees more. Premium flour fetched Rs 11,000 per bag. Consumers report that rising flour prices are leading to 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 unfairly raising prices.
Traders noted that flour prices have started to rise after a recent ban on inter-provincial movement from Punjab. With unemployment already high and Eid spending looming, residents say the combined shock of expensive fuel, unaffordable flour and relentless fare hikes has pushed the city’s poorest citizens to the brink of survival.
