Food and Civil Supplies Minister asks hotels to adjust operations for a week amid LPG shortage

Food and Civil Supplies Minister K.H. Muniyappa urged hotels, eateries and other commercial establishments to adjust their operations temporarily, including switching to alternative energy sources, as the State grapples with an acute shortage of LPG cylinders for commercial use.

Making a statement on the crisis in the Legislative Council on Wednesday (March 18), Mr. Muniyappa said the limited availability of cylinders had made it difficult to meet demand from restaurants, dhabas, hotels and industries. “We have barely about 1,000 cylinders for commercial use. It is difficult to decide how to distribute these,” he said.

The Minister said he had convened a meeting with hotel owners and appealed to them to manage for about a week. “I have asked them to adjust operations, even if it means using electricity. This is a difficult, almost war-like situation, and they will have to cooperate,” he said.

He attributed the shortage to supply constraints at the national level, noting that shipments are delayed overseas. “The Centre is in touch with Iran, and around 16 ships are in the queue. Once they are cleared, the situation is expected to ease,” he said.

Mr. Muniyappa said the government plans to pool available stock over a week to improve supply. “We will consolidate the current stock and try to increase availability to 10,000–15,000 cylinders, and hold further discussions with stakeholders on distribution,” he said.

Domestic consumers will not be hit

He emphasised that domestic consumers will not be affected. “Household supply is the top priority and will not be disrupted under any circumstances. About 3.52 lakh cylinders are being consumed daily,” he said.

The Minister said commercial supply has been capped at 20% by the Centre against a daily requirement of 44,000 cylinders, with about 9,000 cylinders currently being supplied.

Priority is being given to essential sectors. Around 4,200 cylinders are being supplied to educational institutions, hostels and hospitals, while about 1,200 cylinders are allocated to government facilities, including canteens at airports, railway stations, bus stations and Indira canteens.

An additional 500 cylinders are being provided to critical sectors such as seed and food processing, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, fisheries, zoological parks and sports hostels.

Responding to concerns raised by Congress member Ivan D’Souza on the shortage affecting food supply at the Legislators’ Home, the Minister said temporary arrangements had been made during the ongoing Legislature session.