Hotels and restaurants in Chennai have warned of a possible shutdown if supply of commercial LPG cylinders is disrupted. The concern follows rumours that supply could be halted from Tuesday, March 10. The city’s hotel association said thousands of eateries depend on LPG for daily operations.
According to the Chennai Hotels Association, more than 10,000 hotels and eateries across the city rely on commercial LPG cylinders. Association president M Ravi said many establishments, including small tea shops, require LPG to function. A medium-sized restaurant typically consumes between five and ten cylinders a day, he said. “There are no alternative ways but to shut down if LPG is not available,” Ravi said.
The association said any disruption in supply would immediately affect food preparation and services across the sector. While some establishments may be able to temporarily shift to induction-based cooking, only a small section of the industry has access to such alternatives, Ravi added. Describing the situation as unprecedented, he said the industry hoped it would be resolved quickly to avoid disruptions.
The association has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking uninterrupted supply of commercial LPG cylinders and urging the Union government to treat LPG supply to restaurants as an essential service. In its letter, the body said, “Please accept this humble submission, drawing your kind attention to the recent notification of the Central Government, wherein commercial LPG has been temporarily suspended due to the shortage, for usage in restaurants and food industries.”
“The food industry works on a 24 x 7 basis for many hospitals who require the food to be supplied on time besides IT Parks, students at college hostels, train and business travellers will all be affected, if the supply of commercial LPG is hindered,” Ravi said in the letter. The association also warned that banquet bookings at hotels and restaurants would be affected and that the short supply could impact large sections of the public across Tamil Nadu who depend on the food service sector.
Earlier, the Tamil Nadu Hotels Association had also urged the Union government to withdraw restrictions on commercial LPG supply, saying the hospitality sector employs a large workforce and that disruptions could affect both businesses and consumers.
Meanwhile in Karnataka, the Bangalore Hotels Association had warned that restaurants may not be able to function from March 10 because of a severe shortage of commercial LPG cylinders.
However, state-run oil companies said there was no shortage of fuel in the country. Bharat Petroleum sent SMS messages to consumers stating that claims of shortages circulating on social media were misleading. “There is adequate availability of fuel in the country,” the message said.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas said it has directed refineries to increase LPG production and divert additional output to domestic use due to geopolitical disruptions affecting fuel supply. The ministry said it has prioritised LPG supply to households and introduced a 25-day inter-booking period to prevent hoarding and black marketing.
“Non domestic supplies from imported LPG is being prioritised to essential non domestic sectors such as Hospitals and Educational institutions,” the ministry said in a statement. It added that a committee comprising three executive directors from oil marketing companies has been formed to review requests for LPG supply from restaurants, hotels and other industries.
The concerns come amid rising energy market volatility linked to the conflict in West Asia, which has disrupted key fuel shipping routes and pushed up LPG prices. Last week, the price of domestic LPG cylinders was increased by Rs 60, while commercial LPG cylinders were raised by about Rs 115.