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By:

Quaid Najmi

4 January 2025 at 3:26:24 pm

MGL imposes 20 pc gas cut on bakeries

Soon, Mumbai to starve of vada-pav, pav-bhaji Mumbai: The city of dreams fueled by vada-pav and pav-bhaji could soon face a nightmarish food crunch. Amid the ongoing commercial LPG crisis, Mumbai’s piped natural gas (PNG) supplier Mahanagar Gas Limited (MGL) has imposed a 20pc cut in gas offtake by bakeries, forcing scale down of production of laadi-pav, breads and other bakery staples that feed millions daily, plus an ominous price hike soon. The MGL directive follows a central order (March...

MGL imposes 20 pc gas cut on bakeries

Soon, Mumbai to starve of vada-pav, pav-bhaji Mumbai: The city of dreams fueled by vada-pav and pav-bhaji could soon face a nightmarish food crunch. Amid the ongoing commercial LPG crisis, Mumbai’s piped natural gas (PNG) supplier Mahanagar Gas Limited (MGL) has imposed a 20pc cut in gas offtake by bakeries, forcing scale down of production of laadi-pav, breads and other bakery staples that feed millions daily, plus an ominous price hike soon. The MGL directive follows a central order (March 9), calling upon all bakeries to restrict their gas consumption to only 80 pc of their average usage over the past six months. The new rule came into effect from March 12, immediately sending alarm bells ringing across Mumbai’s panicky bakery network. In a missive to bakery owners, MGL also indicated that PNG prices would be revised shortly due to “gas pooling” arrangements, with the final rates to be announced after consultations with suppliers and the government. It further warned that any bakery exceeding the new consumption cap could face penal tariffs or even abrupt disconnection of gas supply. For hundreds of bakeries already grappling with a crippling shortage of commercial LPG cylinders, the move served to fuel the prevailing uncertainty. “This could virtually paralyse Mumbai’s food chain, hitting the common masses worst,” warned Khodadad Irani, President of the Indian Bakers Association (IBA). “There are nearly 300 registered bakeries in South Mumbai alone and around 1,000 across the city. Together they produce almost half the city’s daily requirement of around 70 lakh laadi-pavs. More than half of these bakeries depend on LPG to fire their ovens. With LGP supplies disrupted and now PNG curtailed, many may be forced to shut down within days,” a glum Irani told ‘The Perfect Voice.’ He explained the staggering implications of the potential disruption round the corner - on average, each bakery churns out around 1,500 trays (laadis) of pav every day, employs 30-50 workers per unit, and outside the flaming ovens, an entire informal economy thrives on the humble pav. Two Lakh Workers Nearly two lakh delivery workers ferry fresh bread across the city each morning on bicycles and motorcycles, supplying to all from roadside stalls to high-end eateries and corporates. Besides, over six lakh vendors run small stalls selling the city’s beloved yummies - vada-pav, samosa-pav, bhajiya-pav, usal-misal-pav, pav-bhaji, dabelis. “Under such a scenario, if bakeries pause or shut down, there will be huge consequences. Not only will common people suffer, but close to a million livelihoods linked to this ecosystem could be hit,” Irani pointed out. He reminded the authorities how bakeries remained operational during the COVID-19 pandemic, ensuring a steady supply of bread and pav when Mumbai reeled under lockdown. “We kept our ovens running then despite enormous risks, to ensure Mumbai would not go hungry. But now we are facing a dire fuel shortage, and until commercial LPG quotas are normalized, we simply cannot continue operations,” Irani said grimly. With desperation creeping in both among the bakers and their customers, some bakeries have begun buying LPG cylinders on the black market at three to four times the official price, and others are allegedly diverting domestic cylinders to power their industrial ovens. Ironically, the sector had only recently initiated a painful transition to cleaner fuels - following court-mandated environmental directives in 2025 - by scrapping their traditional coal or wood-fired ovens to invest in PNG-LPG-based systems, or electric powered ovens. “Most of us complied with the shift to eco-friendly fuels. But now those very fuels are scarce. If the situation is not resolved quickly, Mumbai could soon wake up to a shocking reality - a city without pav,” Irani predicted. Neighbourhood bakers fret Local bakers say the crisis threatens not only the supply of laadi-pav but a wide range of popular bakery products that have a ready market. They include: sweet bun-pav, tutti-frutti pav, kharis, rusks, crunchy bruns, toasts, puffs, pastries, brownies, cupcakes, nankhatais, cookies, mini-pizzas, unbranded biscuits, et al. “Mumbai is a crowded city. It cannot survive without bakeries running 24x7. Many people eat only one proper meal at home and rely on street foods and snacks outside. Everything depends on steady fuel supply. If bakeries stop, the entire food chain - from corporate canteens to school kitchens and mass caterers - will be doomed,” fumed a contract baker Mohsin Alvi.

BJP Slams Congress Over Muslim Quota, Vows to Protest in Legislature in Karnataka

Updated: Mar 20, 2025

BJP questions 4% Muslim reservation in govt contracts, accuses Congress of appeasement




Muslim Quota

Bengaluru: The BJP on Monday announced protests both inside the legislature and across the state, condemning the Karnataka government's decision to grant 4 per cent quota to Muslims in government tenders.

The BJP has also declared that it won’t allow the Congress-led Karnataka government to implement the Muslim quota in tenders.


Speaking to the media at Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru, Leader of the Opposition, R. Ashoka, made the announcement.

He stated, "Muslim appeasement is taking place on a larger scale in the state. Reservation is meant to uplift Dalits. The Constitution does not allow reservations for everyone."


He further alleged that the constitutional rights of Dalits were being taken away and given to Muslims solely for electoral gains.


"The Congress-led government has violated the Constitution by providing a 4 per cent reservation for Muslims. There is no provision for religion-based reservation in the Constitution," Ashoka added.


Criticising Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Ashoka said, "He wears a skull cap, introduced Tipu Jayanti, and allocated Rs 10,000 crore for Mullahs in this year’s budget. Now, he is fulfilling all their demands by granting 4 per cent reservation to Muslims. This is unfortunate. We will protest both inside the legislature and across the state."


"BJP’s central leaders have already stated that this 4 per cent reservation for Muslims is unconstitutional," he reiterated.


State BJP President and MLA, B.Y. Vijayendra, stated in Bengaluru that the Karnataka government has not only decided to grant 4 per cent reservation for Muslims in government tenders but has also passed it in a Cabinet meeting and is preparing to introduce a Bill on this in the legislature.

"The BJP will strongly oppose this Bill," he affirmed.


"Deputy Chief Minister, D.K. Shivakumar, has challenged us, saying that if we have the capability, we should make Muslims MLCs and Rajya Sabha members. I want to remind him that it was the BJP that made the late Dr. Abdul Kalam the President. After Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power, Najma Heptulla was appointed as a Governor.


“Justice S. Abdul Nazeer and Arif Mohammad Khan were also given the position of Governor. Ustad Bismillah Khan was conferred the Bharat Ratna, not by the Congress, but during Modi’s tenure," Vijayendra said.

He further questioned, "A former Dalit Congress MLA, Akhanda Srinivas Murthy’s house was burned down by Muslim goons. If the Congress is ready to go to any extent to keep Muslims happy, then what about the poor among other communities?"


"If you are providing a 4 per cent reservation for Muslims in government contracts, have the poor among Hindus committed a sin that they are not being considered? The BJP’s stand is clear. When the Bill is introduced in the legislature today, the BJP will protest both inside and outside the House. We will not allow its implementation," he asserted.

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