Calcutta, Sept. 9 :    Calcutta, Sept. 9:  Around 150 bakers and confectioners in the city have threatened to go on strike if the prices of their products are not increased before the Pujas. The joint action committee of the West Bengal Bakers' Association, Indian Biscuit Manufacturers' Association, All Bengal Bakers' and Biscuit Manufacturers' Association and the West Bengal Bakers' and Biscuit Manufacturers' Association, which have called the strike, say it is not possible for them to carry on business due to the spiralling cost of raw materials. Most leading bakeries, like Kookie Jar, Hot Breads, Bakers Square and The Sugar & Spice, have expressed solidarity with the joint action committee. The joint action committee has written to chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, requesting him to reopen the closed flour mills in the state. 'Now, flour is bought from other states at higher rates, as 90 per cent of the mills are closed,' said Idris Ali, committee secretary. Apart from the city, there are about 3,000 bakeries in the state, involving more than a lakh workers. The city-based bakeries run a Rs 1-crore business daily, said Md. Zakaria, deputy secretary of the committee. 'We had called a strike in January last year on the same issue. The government had then assured us that it would look into the matter. But no steps were taken.' Aniruddha Maity, director of Creative Bakers & Confectioners, which runs The Sugar & Spice, said: 'Steps should immediately be taken to run the bakery business smoothly'. Joydeb Dutta, manager of Hot Breads, too, echoed the concern. 'Though we cater to a different clientele, we can still feel the problems caused by a sharp rise in prices of raw materials,' he said.