LAHORE: Residents of Lahore are facing another financial burden as tandoor owners and naan bakers have increased the price of naan by Rs5. Following the revision, naan is now being sold for Rs35 across the city, while the price of roti remains unchanged at Rs20.
Representatives of the Naan Bakers Association and tandoor owners have attributed the increase to a sharp rise in production costs. They said frequent scheduled and unscheduled gas outages across Lahore have disrupted tandoor operations, forcing bakers to rely on more expensive liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders.
They also cited a sudden increase of Rs3,000 in the price of an 80-kilogram bag of fine flour used in naan production, saying that continuing to operate at the previous rates had become increasingly difficult.
While naan is generally being sold for Rs35 in residential neighbourhoods, prices in commercial markets and upscale areas have reportedly climbed to between Rs40 and Rs45, with some vendors charging higher rates.
Despite the reported increases in the prices of these essential food items, no effective enforcement drive or widespread price checks by the district administration have been reported so far.
Residents have urged the government and relevant authorities to take immediate action and deploy price-control magistrates to monitor prices and prevent overcharging. They have called for urgent relief measures to ease the growing financial pressure on low- and middle-income households.
