Chennai: Hotels and restaurants across Tamil Nadu have begun raising alarm over a sudden shortage of commercial LPG cylinders, even as Chief Minister M. K. Stalin warned that the crisis should not be allowed to disrupt public life and business establishments in the State.
Stalin on Tuesday said he had reviewed the possible impact of the ongoing tensions between the United States and Iran on Tamil Nadu and the measures required to mitigate any fallout.
In a X post after the review meeting, the Chief Minister said he had written to the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, urging the Union Government to ensure the safety of Tamils living in the Gulf region and the welfare of Tamil Nadu fishermen stranded in the affected areas.
Stalin also highlighted the emerging shortage of LPG cylinders and called for immediate intervention. He urged the Union Government to ensure that the LPG shortage resulting from the geopolitical tensions does not affect the public, commercial establishments, or MSME industries in Tamil Nadu.
He further requested that alternative arrangements be made for restaurants facing a shortage of commercial gas cylinders and that any additional power requirements be secured and supplied.
Hotels flag supply disruption
Meanwhile, the Chennai Hotels Association has written to the Prime Minister seeking uninterrupted supply of commercial LPG for the food industry. In its representation, the association warned that restaurants, hotels, hospital kitchens and catering services would be severely affected if supplies were disrupted.
The association pointed out that the food industry functions round the clock and caters to hospitals, IT parks, college hostels, railway passengers and business travellers. Any disruption in LPG supply, it said, would affect food services to a large section of the public.
Impact already visible
The shortage has already begun to affect eateries. In Chennai, for instance, the mid-sized Hotel Ananda, which requires about 10 LPG cylinders a day, supplies were completely unavailable on Tuesday.
A representative of the hotel said while arrangements were made to manage cooking for the day, the situation beyond that remains uncertain.
The shortage has already forced operational changes. The hotel, which normally opens at 6 a.m., opened only at 7 a.m., and the lunch menu has been curtailed. Variety rice items will not be available, and only one type of kurma and sambar will be served due to limited cooking capacity.
Hoteliers warned that if the supply disruption continues for more than a day or two, several restaurants could struggle to maintain regular operations.
