Flour hikes push poorto the brink

TANDO JAM:

With flour prices soaring across Tando Jam and other towns in Hyderabad Rural taluka, putting bread on the table is becoming an increasingly uphill battle for low-income families, daily-wage labourers and small traders already battered by rising living costs.

Residents say the escalating cost of the staple food is squeezing household budgets, leaving many struggling to make ends meet amid mounting expenses for electricity, rent, education, healthcare and other essential commodities. For daily-wage workers, street vendors and small shopkeepers, whose earnings are already stretched thin, securing even two meals a day for their families is becoming increasingly difficult.

"Flour is not a luxury; it is a basic necessity," residents said, warning that its growing unaffordability could also undermine children's nutrition and the overall health of vulnerable households. The price surge has also raised questions about the effectiveness of the district administration, the food department and other relevant authorities in enforcing official rates and preventing profiteering.

Residents have called for regular market inspections and strict legal action against traders found overcharging consumers, hoarding supplies or engaging in unlawful profiteering.