LPG Dealers Shut Shops as Consumers Hunt for Gas
LPG dealers have shut around 5,500 to 6,000 shops in Lahore and several other cities, leaving consumers carrying empty cylinders from shop to shop in search of cooking gas. The shutdown follows a week and a half in which buyers paid exceptionally high prices, and dealers say enforcement raids and fines pushed them to close in protest.
Consumers already struggling with high liquefied petroleum gas prices now face a worsening shortage. Dealers say they closed abruptly to protest what they called harassment by enforcement agencies, and inaction against LPG companies and alleged profiteers.
Why LPG dealers shut their shops
Shopkeeper Kashif Bilal Asghar told The Express News that personnel from the PERA Force and Civil Defence visited shops and confiscated LPG filling pumps. He said each pump cost between Rs50,000 and Rs60,000, while dealers were also fined between Rs5,000 and Rs10,000.
Asghar maintained that shopkeepers were not responsible for the high prices. He argued that LPG companies and the alleged profiteering network supplied gas at inflated rates, while retailers bore the consequences.
He alleged that the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) had not taken action against a single LPG company or plant, despite profiteering worth billions of rupees. Instead, he said, enforcement agencies targeted shopkeepers.
The dealers have now shut their businesses in protest, saying they would no longer submit to pressure from what they called the LPG mafia.
Consumers turn to coal and firewood
With LPG unavailable, many people have turned to shops selling coal and dry firewood. The sudden demand has pushed up the price of coal by Rs10 to Rs20 per kilogram. Coal that previously sold for Rs40 per kilogram is now offered at between Rs50 and Rs60 per kilogram.
Residents questioned what they were expected to do when LPG was unavailable at the price fixed by OGRA, and could no longer be obtained even at higher market rates. The shutdown has compounded the difficulties of households already struggling to afford cooking fuel.
Small food businesses hit hardest
Small food businesses are among those worst affected by the shortage. Many tandoors and eateries depend entirely on LPG to operate, and the disruption has left vendors struggling to keep their businesses running while the cost of alternative fuels keeps rising.
What the shutdown means for households
The strike lands on top of a wider fuel squeeze. Feature Pakistan earlier reported an LPG price hike heading into winter, and a separate report on consumers denied the petrol subsidy after tokens expired or stations refused service. Fuel costs are rising across the board, and cooking gas is the cost households feel most directly.
Until shops reopen, households must rely on costlier alternatives, and small food businesses face the sharpest squeeze. The dealers have tied reopening to an end to the raids and fines, and to action against the companies and profiteers they blame for inflated rates.
Related coverage: LPG Price Hike Ahead of Winter, LPG Price Record at Rs600 per kg Amid Shortages, 31,000 Consumers Denied Petrol Subsidy, Pump Owners Unhappy With Daily Fuel Prices, and Refineries Make Over 1000% Higher Profit After Difficult Decision.
Frequently asked questions
Why did LPG dealers shut their shops?
Dealers say enforcement agencies confiscated their filling pumps and fined them, while LPG companies and alleged profiteers escaped action. They closed in protest against the raids and fines.
How many LPG shops are closed?
Around 5,500 to 6,000 shops have shut in Lahore and several other cities, according to the report.
What are consumers using instead of LPG?
Many people have turned to coal and dry firewood, but the extra demand has pushed coal prices up by Rs10 to Rs20 per kilogram.
What do the dealers want?
Dealers want an end to the raids and fines on shopkeepers, and action against the LPG companies and profiteers they blame for inflated rates.
