Bengaluru eateries face LPG supply disruption amid West Asia tensions, warn of shutdown

BENGALURU: Amid growing geopolitical tension in West Asia, hotels and self-service eateries across Bengaluru Monday reported an unexpected shortage of commercial LPG cylinders, raising fears of disruption to the city's food services.The Bangalore Hotels Association has cautioned that many small and medium-scale eateries may be forced to shut operations temporarily if the current situation persists. P C Rao, the honorary president of the association, said: "Only about 10% of hotels and restaurants in Bengaluru received their LPG supply today. We have gas to keep our kitchens running only until Tuesday afternoon or evening."According to hoteliers, distributors cited ‘instructions' from the Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas to prioritise LPG supply to domestic consumers.However, establishments connected to piped gas networks have not been affected so far. According to the association, about 10 to 15 per cent of city hotels and restaurants get piped gas from GAIL (India) Limited and continue to receive uninterrupted supply.Industry representatives said they understand that international developments could affect supply chains but expressed concern over the sudden disruption.

Subramanya Holla, the president of the association, said: "We will be fine if the supply is reduced, as we understand the situation, but the govt can't leave us with a full cut-down." Industry members also pointed out that the crisis comes amid a sharp rise in LPG prices.According to the hotels' association, Bengaluru has nearly 40,000 small, medium and large-scale hotels and restaurants, while Karnataka has around 1 lakh such establishments.

This sudden shortage in LPG supply has left restaurant owners stumped, after the Centre had earlier assured that commercial LPG supplies would not be halted. Veerandra Kamath of Kamath Food Chain and secretary of the Bangalore Hotels Association said the industry had already raised its concerns with the authorities and even submitted a memorandum to the Union petroleum minister. "But his assurances seem to be short-lived," he said. Smaller darshinis — an integral part of Bengaluru's food culture — are particularly vulnerable. Most operate in compact spaces and maintain minimal LPG stocks due to storage limitations. Typically, such eateries consume three to four 19-kg cylinders daily and keep reserves sufficient for only one or two days.