PESHAWAR: A sharp increase was witnessed in vegetable and fruit prices in the provincial capital on Thursday due to the three-day strike of merchants against a local trader`s murder on Tuesday.

During a visit to the retail market, Dawn observed that the price of different items had gone up from 20 per cent to 180 per cent during the last three days.

The price of five kilogrammes potato went up from Rs180 to Rs300, peas from Rs200 to Rs320, ladyfingers from Rs500 to Rs750, arum from Rs250 to Rs300, lemon from Rs250 to 500, onion from Rs120 to Rs150, cucumber from Rs100 to Rs130, tomatoes from Rs200 to 340, capsicum from Rs250 to Rs700 andcarrots from Rs150 to Rs250.

Similarly, the price of one kilogramme guava surged from Rs80 to Rs120, strawberry from Rs160 to Rs200 or above, apple from Rs100 to Rs130, keno from Rs70 to Rs100 a dozen and banana from Rs60 to Rs80 a dozen.

The people dealing in sale of vegetable said the rates had risen due to the closure of main market at Inqilab Road Peshawar.

They said the supplies had been stopped coming in due to the strike, which caused shortage in the retail markets and that the problem would persist for some days.

Vendors said the local market was closed, so the wholesalers were supplying their consignments directly to Afghanistan to the misery of local people, the actual sufferers of the situation.

`The wholesalers have suffered no loss as a result of the strike but we and the consumers are suffering,` said Khan Mohammad, a trader at Swati Bazaar.

Some shopkeepers said a small market at Chowk Yadgar was openbut it could not cater to the demands of the entire district and that was why wholesalers had fixed the rates of goods at will due to the negligence of the administration.

The main vegetable market on Inqilab Road remained shut for the third day with its traders holding a protest meeting against the Tuesday daylight killing of colleague Shah Wali, who was shot dead after he resisted robbers snatching Rs1 million cash from him.

The protesters strongly condemned the cold blooded murder of the businessman and described it a glaring example of the lawlessness in the provincial metropolis.

They said the government had miserably failed to ensure protection of the traders` life and property and that was why the people were leaving the province for safer areas in other parts of the country.

`We observed a three-day protest against the trader`s killing but thegovernment did not take any concrete steps for arrest of the killer(s),` said Malik Sohni, president of All Pakistan Agricultural Produce Traders Federation.

He demanded of the government to take pragmatic steps for the arrest of the killers for exemplary punishment.

Meanwhile, the shopkeepers of Jahangirpura held a demonstration against the Municipal Corporation of Peshawar over its failure to ensure cleanliness in local bazaars and streets.

The protesters led by Jehangir Khan shouted slogans against the government and asked for immediate removal of sewage placed in the streets or by the roads.

Jehangir Khan said the sanitation staff didn`t do duty diligently, so bazaars and streets were unclean to the misery of traders and visitors.

`We will block the GT Road if the Municipal Corporation of Peshawar fails to ensure cleanliness in bazaars and streets,` he said.