Even as the Bombay High Court on Thursday refused to grant Mumbai’s wood- and coal-fired bakeries a one-year extension to switch to green fuel sources and directed them to abide by the original deadline of July 8, many city bakers say they have begun the transition but need more time to complete it.Omaish Siddique, who owns New Edward Bakery in Fort and counts the India Government Mint, RBI, Central Railways, and local cycle vendors among his wholesale clients, is in the middle of shifting from wood-fired ovens to gas-run ones.“We have lost all our hopes. There is no other option, we have to do it — but we need time. The transition takes 15–20 days: you have to break the bhatti (furnace), chimney, clear the debris and re-do the flooring. All this demands time, and you can’t shut shop for so many days,” he said.A special bench of the high court had on January 9 directed the authorities to ensure conversion to gas, electrical or other green fuel sources within six months. Last month, another bench of the high court passed an interim order directing the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) not to act on its notice to the bakeries until the next hearing.To keep production going, Siddique has temporarily shifted operations to Fotowat Bakery in Dongri, run by his son. “For the last 15 days, production has been happening there. In another four days, the work here will be complete, and then we will move back and start civil work there,” he explained. Workers prepare ladi pav at the New Edward Bakery, Fort in Mumbai. (Express photo by Sankhadeep Banerjee)The shift, he said, comes at a steep cost — about Rs 1.5 lakh for demolition and flooring, and nearly Rs 13 lakh for two ovens. “But it is not just that. Earlier, Rs 1,000 worth of wood would make 2,500 ladis of pav. Now the same will cost Rs 5,000 worth of gas. We haven’t got a gas pipeline yet, so we will rely on cylinders for now,” he said, adding that a price hike in pav is inevitable. “But I alone can’t do it. I’m waiting for the Bombay Bakers Association meeting so we can collectively decide the new price.”‘Production bound to take a hit’Nagpada’s famed Zahid Bakery, which runs two bhattis, producing nearly 4,000 ladis of pav daily, is still awaiting transition. The owner, Sayed Asgar Husain, said demolition has not yet begun, though he has applied for a gas oven and a Mahanagar Gas pipeline. “The order for the oven was placed a month ago but it hasn’t arrived yet. Even Mahanagar won’t do any new work until the monsoon is completely over,” he explained.Story continues below this adHe has ruled out electric ovens as unviable. “That would push the price of a pav to Rs 10. Who would buy a pav for Rs 10?” he asked, adding that LPG cylinders were unsafe in a residential building.For now, Husain has ordered one gas oven as a trial. “It is a large oven but can only make 90 ladis in a 30-minute run, unlike earlier when we produced in bulk. We will have to make smaller lots and rethink our entire production chain,” he said, admitting that production is bound to take a hit. Perzon Zend represents the third generation inheriting the iconic Yazdani Bakery. (Express Photo by Sankhadeep Banerjee)The owners of South Bombay’s beloved Yazdani Bakery said they are in limbo. “We are too confused. We don’t know what to do. Electric ovens are just not viable and Mahanagar has said they can supply the gas pipeline only by December,” said Perzon Zend, the third-generation custodian, who was discussing the matter with his partners when we called on Friday evening.He added that they are law-abiding citizens and want to comply, but there is no immediate solution except shutting down the bakery. “I really dread the day most bakeries shut and the common man is deprived of his daily bread.”‘Demand high but vendors few’Story continues below this adAs of July, Mumbai is home to 573 operational bakeries, according to data procured from the BMC. Of these, 187 have already adopted greener fuel sources such as electricity or piped natural gas (PNG). Civic authorities had told The Indian Express last month that another 74 had either switched or begun the process of transitioning to cleaner fuels within the stipulated deadline.Nasir Ansari, president of the Bombay Bakers’ Association, said bakeries need more time to comply with the high court order. “About 20–30 per cent of bakeries have already transitioned and many more are in the process, but around 300 are yet to get ovens,” he said, pointing to a demand–supply gap. “There are very few vendors for bakery ovens and demand is very high right now, which is why we need more time.”The association, he added, will meet BMC officials on Sunday and is also reaching out to MLAs to seek support for an extension of a few months. For now, bakers say, the question is not whether they will switch — but whether there is a system in place to aid them and if they can really survive the transition.