Several women injured in chaos at flour sale spot in Nawabshah.

DADU -- Many women standing in queues to buy subsidised wheat flour at a designated spot in Nawabshah were injured, some of them seriously, in chaos on Monday as people jostled each other to reach the supply trucks first.

The injured women had to be taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.

In an incident of stampede a couple of days back in Mirpurkhas, a labourer had lost his life and many men and women were injured in their attempt to buy a flour bag.

Due to a wide gap in the demand and supply of flour at subsidised rate of Rs65 a kilo, long queues of men and women are seen at all the designated spots in every big and small town of the interior of Sindh while traders and shopkeepers also have a limited stock to offer to their customers at Rs140-160 a kilo.

The people in queues were seen complaining that they had to spend many hours at these spot for the arrival of the flour-laden trucks and then for their turn to buy a five-kg or 10-kg bag of flour. Many of them also complained of poor quality flour.

Protests held in many towns over aggravating shortage, increasing price

They argued that they had to compromise as the better quality flour was selling at private outlets for three or even more time higher rate.

Many areas get no supply of subsidised flour

Residents of Dadu, Mehar, Khairpur Nathan Shah and Johi towns in Dadu district claimed that not a single stall had been set up by food department to offer flour at subsidised rate and, therefore, people had to buy the commodity at the exorbitant rate of Rs140-160 per kilogram.

Protest demonstrations were held on Monday at various places, including in front of Dadu Press Club, and many other towns of Dadu, Shaheed Benazirabad, Sanghar, Naushahro Feroze and Jamshoro districts against an acute shortage of flour and the unaffordable price.

They condemned the food department and respective district administrations for failing to manage the supplies and maintain quality and price.

Officials-traders collusion alleged

In Dadu city, protesters marched on various roads before holding a noisy demonstration outside the local press club. They raised slogans against the officials concerned and demanded immediate action against them.

Speaking to them, one of the protesters, Shah Mohammad, alleged...