Pakistan’s Cooking Fuel Crisis: LPG Shortage Worsens as Dealers Strike
Thousands of LPG retailers in Pakistan shut down in protest, causing fuel shortages and forcing residents to use coal and firewood.
Pakistan is currently facing a severe cooking fuel crisis, which has intensified after thousands of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) retailers decided to shut their outlets in protest. This move has left millions of residents struggling to secure basic fuel for their kitchens, as the prices of alternative fuels continue to climb.
The Great Shutdown
In Lahore and several other major cities, an estimated 5,500 to 6,000 LPG shops have closed their doors. This massive strike has created a chaotic scene, where consumers are seen moving between outlets with empty cylinders, desperately hoping to find a supply of gas.
The retailers are protesting against what they are termed as "harassment" by enforcement agencies. They claim that the government has failed to take action against the larger LPG companies and plants, while focusing their penalties on small-scale retailers.
Retailers vs. Enforcement Agencies
The dealers maintain that they are being unfairly penalised for a pricing crisis that is entirely beyond their control. Shopkeeper Kashif Bilal Asghar highlighted the severe financial impact of these raids. He alleged that personnel from the Civil Defence and the PERA Force have been confiscating filling equipment, with pumps costing between PKR 50,000 and PKR 60,000 each.
Additionally, retailers have been slapped with fines ranging from PKR 5,000 to PKR 10,000. Asghar accused the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) of neglecting the same profiteering practices occurring at the LPG companies and plants, instead concentrating enforcement efforts on the small shopkeepers.
Household Hardships and Alternative Fuels
The crisis has not only disrupted the regular supply of LPGL, but it has also created immense hardship for households. With the fuel unavailable at either official regulated prices or prevailing market rates, many families have been forced to turn to primitive alternative fuels.
Many residents have turned to coal and dry firewood to meet their daily cooking needs. However, this sudden surge in demand has driven up the costs of these alternatives. Coal, which was previously available for PKR 40 per kilogram, is now reportedly selling for PKR 50 to PKR 60 per kilogram, marking a significant increase of PKR 10 to PKR 20 per kilogram.
Dealers say the continuing penalties and financial losses have left them with little choice but to suspend operations.
With living costs already on the rise, the ongoing fuel shortage and the increased price of coal and firewood, the situation in Pakistan's urban centers remains critical.