TOBA TEK SINGH, Sept 6: The mechanical ovens (tandoors) had been closed down three months ago but financial worries of those who were operating them linger.

As many as 300 mechanical ovens were installed at selected hotels under the chief minister’s Sasti Roti Scheme all over Punjab. Sixty such tandoors were installed in Faisalabad division, four of which were in Toba Tek Singh.

The hotel owners were verbally informed that they would be supplied subsidised flour at the rate of Rs250 per 20kg and they would have to sell 100-gram roti at Rs2 to their customers. At other places the price of roti was between Rs4 and 6.

Official failed to keep their promise and first reduced flour bags’ supply and eventually stopped it, depriving the poor of the most basic facility. The mechanical oven operators also found themselves in financial crisis.

Mechanical Tandoor Owners Association local head Baba Javed Akhtar said the Punjab Small Industries Corporation (PSIC) had supplied them the mechanical tandoors without receiving any advance money however they were made to pay Rs4,100 a month as installment of the total payable amount of Rs235,000.

He said after closure of these tandoors they were bogged down under the burden of rent of shops and unpaid utility bills. He claimed that each tandoor owner had so far paid Rs91,400 in installments but the scheme had been discontinued. He demanded that it should be launched again to facilitate the labourers and tandoor operators.

Mechanical Tandoor Owners Association (Faisalabad Division) President Muhammad Afzal said all mechanical tandoors in Faisalabad city also had been closed for the last three months due to non-supply of flour.