Severe gas loadshedding has pushed tandoor owners in Lahore to announce a protest, as prolonged gas outages continue to disrupt daily bread production across the city. Tandoor associations say the shortage has made it increasingly difficult to meet demand for a basic food staple relied on by millions of households.
The announcement comes amid growing complaints from small business owners across Punjab who say gas supply disruptions are directly affecting their livelihoods.
Why Tandoor Owners Are Protesting Gas Loadshedding
Tandoor owners in Lahore say gas loadshedding has become so severe that many are unable to operate for several hours each day, directly cutting into their income and making it harder to supply bread to local communities. Association representatives argue that tandoors, as an essential food service, should be prioritized in gas supply schedules.
Owners have warned that if the loadshedding pattern continues unaddressed, bread prices in Lahore could rise further, adding pressure on households already dealing with high living costs.
What Tandoor Associations Are Demanding From Authorities
The protesting associations are calling on gas utility companies and provincial authorities to ensure a more consistent and predictable gas supply schedule for tandoors, particularly during peak hours when demand for fresh bread is highest.
They have also demanded that any loadshedding plans take essential food businesses into account separately from general commercial and industrial consumers, given the direct impact on food availability for the public.
Authorities have not yet issued a detailed response to the protest announcement, though similar complaints from tandoor owners in other Punjab cities suggest the gas loadshedding issue extends well beyond Lahore alone.
Gas shortages have become a recurring seasonal issue in Punjab, with tandoors, restaurants, and small food businesses often bearing the brunt of supply cuts during peak demand periods. Tandoor owners say the unpredictability of loadshedding schedules makes it especially difficult to plan production, leading many to either raise prices or reduce operating hours.
Some associations have proposed alternative fuel arrangements, including compressed natural gas cylinders or electric ovens, as a temporary workaround, though owners note that switching equipment involves significant upfront costs that many small businesses cannot easily absorb.
Similar protests over gas loadshedding have previously been reported in other Punjab cities, suggesting the issue is likely to remain a recurring point of tension between food businesses and gas utility companies as long as supply constraints persist during winter and high-demand periods.
Consumer groups have also weighed in on the tandoor protest, noting that any resulting increase in bread prices would disproportionately affect lower-income households that rely heavily on tandoor-made bread as a daily staple. Some local administrations have floated the idea of temporary subsidized gas allocations for registered tandoors during severe loadshedding spells, though no formal policy has been implemented so far. Tandoor owners maintain that without a clear resolution, further protests and potential closures could follow in the weeks ahead.
Until a longer-term fix is found, tandoor owners say they will continue to raise their concerns publicly, hoping sustained pressure will prompt authorities to treat essential food businesses as a priority category in future loadshedding plans.
Local trade bodies have also offered to help mediate between tandoor owners and gas distribution companies, hoping a negotiated arrangement can be reached before the protest escalates into a wider strike that could affect bread availability in parts of the city.
The gas supply concerns raised by tandoor owners come as Punjab also deals with separate weather-related challenges, including a recent urban flooding and landslide alert issued for several cities in the province.
Local media reports suggest similar tandoor protests could spread to other Punjab cities if the loadshedding pattern does not improve soon, adding further pressure on gas utility companies to revisit their current distribution priorities.
