Gas shortage revives old truth: You can’t eat money

Bengaluru

Several hotels and restaurants in Bengaluru continued to operate under strain on Tuesday, relying on their existing supply of commercial gas cylinders and limited backup stock. Hoteliers have expressed concern that they may be forced to shut down operations once these supplies are exhausted. “We have to conserve energy to prolong our survival.

The announced shutdown of restaurants is not something being forced upon anyone, rather it is a precautionary step we are taking to avoid reaching a complete dead end in supplies”, said Subramanya Holla, President of the Bruhat Bengaluru Hotels Association (BBHA), speaking to News Trail about the closure of restaurants after the BBHA’s announcement on Monday regarding the shutdown of hotels and restaurants.

It is just the beginning. If the war does not stop, we will have to face worse... this is the responsibility of the central government... It is because of their policies that the country is facing these shortages."
—Karnataka State Minister Lakshmi Hebbalkar

Holla explained that some hotels had already shut down operations, while others were continuing to function with the limited stock of cylinders they still had. He cautioned that if the supply of commercial LPG cylinders is not restored soon, all hotels would eventually be forced to close. He noted that the BBHA issued the statement to draw the attention of the State government and oil marketing companies and to urge them to immediately resume the supply of commercial gas cylinders. 

“A black market for domestic LPG cylinders is likely to emerge now”, Holla added. Athif, owner of Pani Kum Chai in JP Nagar, said the shortage had not affected his business so far. However, he added that if the situation worsens, they may be forced to look for immediate alternatives. “We will have no choice but to purchase cylinders at a higher price”, he said. When News Trail visited the streets to observe the ground reality of whether the LPG shortage had impacted commercial hotels, a restaurant named Grills and Rolls in JP Nagar was seen receiving a delivery of two gas cylinders from its distributor.

Rafiq, the owner of the establishment, said the restaurant typically consumes three cylinders a day.  However, due to the disruption in supply, they have been receiving only two cylinders over the past few days. “We are already struggling and have no backup supply. If the deliveries stop completely, I will have no option but to shut down my restaurant until the situation improves”, he said. Speaking to Rafiq’s distributor, he claimed that the LPG plant had informed them that there was currently no stock of liquefied petroleum gas available. 

Today, the entire country is boiling. All hotels want to close because they don't have gas. Prices will shoot up. Everyone has to look at alternatives like firewood, electric stoves, or kerosene stoves... The central government is not reacting to it... Foreign policy is going from bad to worse. The central government should debate this, come out with a stand, and involve all Parliament members to give their opinion.
—Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar

He added that the remaining filled commercial LPG cylinders in circulation were likely to last only for another two days. P. C. Rao, Honorary President of BBHA, said some hotels have stopped preparing items such as poori, as they require large quantities of oil and gas.“We are trying to conserve gas.

For instance, if we have five cylinders and would normally use three cylinders a day, we are attempting to stretch those five cylinders to last four days. We are making such efforts”, he said. Expressing hope that the issue would be resolved soon, Rao added, “It has to be resolved because this is not just a state issue, it concerns the entire country. That is why it must be addressed”.