Indore (Madhya Pradesh): The ongoing shortage and irregular supply of commercial LPG cylinders have begun to put severe operational pressure on Indore’s hospitality sector, with hotel and restaurant operators urging the government to treat the industry as an essential service and ensure priority fuel supply.
“We should be considered an emergency service as we were during Covid because hotels are effectively homes for thousands of people who come from outside the city to stay here,” said Sumit Suri, Chairman of the Madhya Pradesh Committee of the Hotel and Restaurant Association of Western India and President of the Indore Hoteliers Association, while speaking to The Free Press Journal on Sunday.
SCENARIO
Suri said Indore currently has around 400 to 500 hotels offering nearly 12,000 rooms, with an average occupancy of 70% to 80%, meaning nearly 15,000 guests stay in hotels across the city on any given day. In addition, more than 2,000 restaurants operate in the city, many of which depend heavily on commercial LPG for daily kitchen operations.
With LPG supply becoming irregular, several hotels and restaurants have temporarily shifted to alternative cooking arrangements such as coal-fired systems, induction cooktops and electric appliances.
“Alternative fuels are significantly more expensive than LPG, but the industry has collectively decided that we will neither increase food prices nor reduce staff strength during this crisis,” Suri said.
CONSUMPTION LEVEL
According to industry estimates, hotels, banquet kitchens, wedding venues and restaurants together consume nearly 4,000 to 5,000 commercial LPG cylinders every day. While demand remains unchanged, the shortage has forced many establishments to adopt costlier alternatives to keep their kitchens operational.
“Right now we are somehow managing to keep services running, but without timely administrative intervention this situation may not remain sustainable for long,” Suri said, adding that consistent fuel supply is critical for the sector’s survival.
He emphasised that many students, business travellers and visitors from outside the city depend on hotels and restaurants for daily meals. Therefore, the hospitality sector should receive fuel allocations similar to essential household supplies during the crisis.
CRUCIAL MEET
The Madhya Pradesh Hotel Association held a meeting on Sunday and expressed concern over the continued irregular supply of commercial LPG across several regions, stating that the situation is creating operational uncertainty for the hospitality industry.
Despite these challenges, hotels and restaurants in Indore are striving to maintain uninterrupted service for guests by adjusting menus, reorganising kitchen operations and exploring temporary solutions wherever possible.
JOB SCENARIO
Suri said the hospitality industry is one of the city’s major employment generators, supporting thousands of workers including chefs, kitchen staff, service personnel, housekeeping teams and other allied employees.
“Even in this difficult phase, the industry is making a conscious effort to protect jobs and ensure that employees do not suffer because of the current supply crisis,” he said.
Hotel establishments across the city have committed to avoiding layoffs and maintaining their workforce despite the rising operational burden caused by the LPG shortage.
