Rising LPG Prices Push Lahore Roti Prices Up to Rs20, Sparking Public Concerns
LAHORE:Soaring liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) prices have placed tandoor owners and consumers under growing financial pressure in Lahore, prompting some shopkeepers to raise roti prices to between Rs17 and Rs20 in various areas.
Tandoor owners said LPG, which should cost around Rs300 per kilogram, was being sold at arbitrary rates, with some reporting that they were paying as much as Rs600 per kilogram. They argued that the rising cost of fuel had made it difficult to maintain existing roti prices.
Consumers, however, urged the government and local administration to intervene and control the prices of both LPG and roti, warning that unauthorised price increases were allowing businesses to charge customers at their discretion.
Citizens appealed to price control magistrates and the deputy commissioner to enforce officially notified rates and take action against unjustified price hikes.
Meanwhile, owners of hotels, tandoors, restaurants, bakeries and other small businesses that rely on gas said their income and operating expenses were calculated on a daily basis, leaving them with limited capacity to absorb sudden cost increases.
They maintained that, unlike large businesses, small operators could neither stockpile LPG in large quantities nor sustain losses for several months.
Business owners also pointed to rising electricity, gas and petroleum prices, higher transportation costs and increased prices charged by raw material suppliers as factors contributing to the overall increase in operating expenses.
Shopkeepers further complained that small retailers were often the primary targets of administrative raids and fines whenever prices rose, while wholesalers faced comparatively less pressure to reduce their rates.
They argued that large wholesalers had the financial capacity to absorb temporary losses and called on the government to address price increases at the wholesale level rather than placing the entire burden of enforcement on small retailers.
