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Pakistans ongoing cooking fuel crisis has intensified after thousands of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) retailers shut their outlets in protest against harassment by enforcement agencies and the governments failure to act against LPG companies and profiteers. The shutdown has left consumers struggling to find gas as the prices of alternative fuels continue to climb, as reported by The Express Tribune.
According to The Express Tribune, approximately 5,500 to 6,000 LPG shops have closed in Lahore and several other cities, forcing residents to move between outlets with empty cylinders in the hope of securing supplies. The strike follows nearly ten days of exceptionally high LPG prices, further squeezing households already grappling with rising living costs. Dealers maintain that they are being penalised for a pricing crisis beyond their control. Shopkeeper Kashif Bilal Asghar alleged that personnel from the PERA Force and Civil Defence had confiscated LPG filling equipment from retailers. He said the pumps cost between Pakistani rupees (PKR) 50,000 and PKR 60,000 each, while shopkeepers faced fines ranging from PKR 5,000 to PKR 10,000. Asghar accused the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) of failing to hold LPG companies and plants accountable for alleged profiteering, claiming that enforcement efforts were instead concentrated on small retailers. Dealers say the continuing penalties and financial losses have left them with little choice but to suspend operations. The protest has created further hardship for households unable to obtain LPG at either officially regulated prices or prevailing market rates. With regular supplies disrupted, many consumers have turned to coal and dry firewood to meet their daily cooking needs, as cited by The Express Tribune. However, the sudden increase in demand has driven up alternative fuel costs. Coal, previously available for Rs40 per kilogram, is now reportedly selling for PKR 50 to PKR 60 per kilogram, marking an increase of PKR 10 to PKR 20 per kilogram, as reported by The Express Tribune. (ANI)
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