Hotel body warns 50pc eateries may shut in two days
NEW DELHI: The conflict in the Middle East has triggered an energy crisis across the world, and India too appears to be bearing the brunt, with reports of a commercial LPG shortage even as the government maintains it has sufficient stock.
The production and supply of energy products, including LPG, have been disrupted due to the ongoing war between the US and Iran.
The crisis has led to a shortage of commercial LPG in the country. In Rajasthan, oil marketing companies have directed distributors to halt new bookings for commercial LPG cylinders.
The supply of commercial LPG has also been disrupted in Karnataka, where several hotels, restaurants, and roadside food vendors are on the verge of shutting down their operations.
Amid the crisis, the Hotel and Restaurant Association has raised the alarm, claiming that the shortage of commercial LPG could force around 50 per cent of hotels and restaurants across several cities to shut their operations in two days.
“The shortage of commercial LPG has become extremely serious over the past week, with intermittent disruptions escalating into a near-complete halt in supply in several regions since yesterday,” said Pradeep Shetty, VP, FHRAI & Spokesperson, Hotel and Restaurant Association (Western India).
Shetty said that the March 5 notification by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas led to considerable confusion among suppliers and distributors, many of whom have stopped supplying commercial LPG cylinders to hotels, restaurants and food service establishments.
“We are already receiving reports of severe shortages from cities including Mumbai, Pune, Aurangabad and Nagpur, while similar disruptions are being reported in states such as Delhi, Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. If the situation does not improve within the next two days, nearly 50 per cent of hotels and restaurants in Mumbai may be forced to temporarily shut operations depending on the stock of cylinders they currently have,” he stated.
The shortage, Shetty said, will affect international tourists who are already here and those who will be visiting the country. “Also, smaller and medium-sized eateries will be the first to be impacted, as they typically operate with limited reserves.”
Meanwhile, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah has written to Union Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, requesting his intervention to ensure adequate commercial LPG supply is made available to hotels, restaurants and commercial establishments and to give directions to the Oil Marketing Companies to address the current supply constraints.
Outcome of ‘Vishwaguru’s foreign policies’, says Congress leader Priyank Kharge
Amid reports of commercial LPG cylinder shortage, Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge blamed the crisis on India’s foreign policy.
“It is the outcome of Vishwaguru’s foreign policies. In the previous Parliament session, Hardeep Singh Puri mentioned that we will be able to tolerate this onslaught for 75 days, and there is no problem with natural gas or crude oil… When the war started they said we have only 25 days’ worth of stock. Today the government of India issued the Essential Services Maintenance Act, and it is invoked when there is a crisis – for which the government of India is responsible,” Kharge said.
Agencies