Imported Milk Powder Prices Increased, people wait in line to try their luck to purchase Milk Powder

COLOMBO (News 1st); The people of the island nation of Sri Lanka have been affected by a shortage of milk powder in the market.

Over the last few days, queues for milk powder were a common scene outside a local milk store in Mirihana a town on the outskirts of Colombo, however, there were no queues to be seen today.

The reason being, the issuance of tokens to sell milk powder.

When News 1st inquired from the usual consumers from the area, we received some in-depth details.

A lady told that the queues were dispersed because the people hooted at the President or otherwise everyone bought milk peacefully and left.

A senior citizen said an issue arose here with the police with many police officers including a DIG arriving at the scene and telling the people that the road is being blocked and that the President is to travel through the area. He said that it is what they heard and they are unaware whether the government is behind the stoppage of selling milk powder.

An elderly lady noted that if the authorities are halting the sale of milk powder because the President is passing by that is unfair.

She strongly voiced her opinion and said, '' the ruler must think about the children''.

Our reporters say many people are inconvenienced due to the token system as the majority of them are unable to get their hands on tokens. Many mothers left empty-handed.

An extremely dismayed bystander told that the ones at the helm of power aren't even taking care of the 6.9 million people who voted for them, but the racketeers who funded their election campaign are having a jolly good time.

A lorry carrying local milk powder arrived in Mirihana at around 11:30 am local time on Thursday (30).

Our correspondent reported that milk powder was not sold to people without tokens whilst tokens were issued later in the afternoon for packets that would be sold the following day.

Amidst the chaos D.B. Herath the State Minister of Livestock, Farm Promotion, and Dairy & Egg Related Industries arrived in the area, and journalists as well consumers swamped the politico to raise their questions.

When a journalist inquired the Minister whether the President has seen the queues and heard booing, he added that the President has seen the plight while passing through the and paid attention to the issue personally.

Herath further noted that nobody booed the President and there is no need to hoot at him.

Minister Herath said the price of local milk powder will be increased comparatively, with the cost of a 400g packet going up by about Rs. 20 or more and a kilo to increase too.

Some people were seen begging in desperation to the Minister to provide them with at least one packet of milk powder. They were told by the traders to come back the next day.

Although queues were not seen in Mirihana, long queues of people were seen in various parts of the island to buy milk powder.

In the town of Malabe, a tired man standing in line questioned the fact that what the innocent people got to do if someone hoots at the President.

People say that life was never like this for them as they are now forced to stay in queues for anything and everything from the crack of dawn to dusk.