MANSEHRA: Bakers in Hazara division on Tuesday rejected the recent 200 per cent increase in the tariff of natural gas and warned they would take to the streets if the hike wasn’t withdrawn.

“The government recently increased gas tariff two times threatening our business, so we call for its immediate withdrawal. If that doesn’t happen, we’ll observe a shutter down strike and stage street protests,“Hazara Bakers Association president Waseem Sattar toldreporters here.

He said the protest decision was made during a meeting of the association. Mr Sattar said civil society activists would join the bakers’ protest.

He said the gas tariff hike would drive the prices of bakery items up almost 50 per cent.

On the occasion, association chairman Haji Mohammad Shaukat said a delegation of the bakers association met the governor and the high-ups of Sui Northern Gas Supply Company Limited and apprised them of their issues over higher gas price.

He said “Category A” bakers paid almost Rs800,000 gas bill every month and if the government didn’t withdraw tariff hike, the amount would go beyond Rs3 million mark becoming unaffordable for them.

Mr Shaukat said the business community was badly hit by record inflation and if a 200 per cent increase in gas price wasn’t withdrawn, the province’s bakery industry wouldn’t survive.

District general secretary of the association Wajid Ali Shah said the bakery sector was overtaxed and any increase in gas tariff would lead to its closure.

SUSPENDED: District police officer Zahoor Babar Afridi on Tuesday suspended the SHO of Baffa police station over an increase in the incidence of firing in the air.

The SHO’s suspension comes despite repeated warnings, according to a police statement.

The police said the suspended SHO had been directed to report to the police lines.

“If other SHOs don’t check such incidents, they will face the same action,” the police said in the statement.

They said a crackdown had been launched on firing in the air in Baffa area leading to the booking and arrest of many lawbreakers but such incidents didn’t come to a halt.

Published in Dawn, November 15th, 2023