District govt stops provision of subsidised flour to mechanical tandoors

[Lahore_Real_Estate]

LAHORE: The Lahore district government has stopped providing subsidised flour to mechanical tandoors without any reason, which have prompted the tandoor owners to throw out their costly equipment. Six months ago, the Punjab government decided to curtail the number of ordinary tandoors and establish mechanical tandoors, which would be provided with subsidised flour. A mechanical tandoor prepares 500 to 1,500 rotis in an hour compared to an ordinary gas fired tandoor. The Punjab government started this project worth Rs 54 million in collaboration with the Punjab Small Industries Corporation (PSIC). Around 200 tandoors were to be established worth Rs 0.2 million each in Shahdara, Ferozepur Road, Cantt and Cooperative Stores. Saeed Khan, a tandoor owner, said the district govt had stopped providing subsidised flour to our tandoors, which had prompted us to put our tandoors on the road. He said his tandoor had a gas connection but the govt was providing them cheap quality flour due to which the inferior quality rotis were being produced. He alleged that corrupt officers of the district government had not provided them regulators due to which they could not control the gas pressure and had to face huge financial losses. Khan said he had complained about this problem but no action was taken. Lahore Sasti Roti Scheme Incharge Mian Waheed Alam said mechanical tandoors did not had gas connections, but tandoor owners have applied for them and as soon as they were provided with gas, subsidised flour would also be provided to them. He said private mechanical tandoors in Murghikhana and Quaid-e-Azam Industrial Estate were functioning successfully because proper gas pressure was being provided to them. aaj kal report