Overview

• Rejecting a plea by 12 bakeries, Justices Shree Chandrashekhar and Aarti Sathe refused a one‑year delay and said units that missed the July 8 cutoff must shut.
• City data cited in court showed 46 bakeries have converted and 28 are mid‑transition, leaving roughly 311 still using conventional fuels.
• The ruling follows a January 9 High Court directive that prompted BMC notices ordering a switch to electric, LPG or PNG within six months.
• Bakery owners argued conversion requires demolishing brick ovens, securing PNG supply, coping with monsoon constraints, and spending ₹10–20 lakh, warning of job losses and bread shortages.
• MGL reported surveys enabling more PNG connections and offered some line extensions, while bakeries pointed to BMC road‑digging permissions and security deposits as hurdles; officials flagged available loans and subsidies.