The West Asia conflict has begun making its way into Pune’s kitchens, both commercial and domestic. A sharp rise in LPG cylinder demand in Pune is seen amid reports of a shortage of cooking gas. With prices increasing and supply becoming uncertain, restaurants, snack centres and sweet shops fear serious difficulties if the situation continues. Gas distributors have recorded a surge in bookings, while restaurant owners say shortage concerns are making it difficult to run their kitchens smoothly, and the longer the situation continues, the more it could hamper thousands of employees.
Cylinder prices increased
Nand Kishore Nale, who is a distributor of HPCL in the Kothrud area under the agency name Atish Supply Company, speaking to The Free Press Journal, highlighted, “The rate has been increased suddenly. In domestic gas, the price per cylinder has increased by Rs 60, and in commercial cylinders, the price has increased by Rs 115. People have panicked after the news of the war in West Asia. We get around 1,000 bookings at a single time, leading to an increase in demand and crowd at the agency. But definitely, as we have received the information, the government and the company will sort out the problem and ensure the availability of fuel in an adequate amount."
"Additionally, we got some calls from commercial customers after getting some notice about the shortage, and they demanded more supply, showing panic about the shortage. But definitely the rate could decrease soon. The problem will be sorted out soon. We request customers not to panic and stop demanding additional bookings and supplies unnecessarily," he added.
The government should speak openly about the current situation
Bablu Gupta, who runs a sweet shop, speaking to The Free Press Journal, said, “We called the gas suppliers for the cylinder, but they ended the call saying, ‘We cannot supply now, please call later.’ We don't have enough fuel to cook the raw items of sweets and snacks. We are forced to increase the rate of items after the hike in gas cylinder prices. It's our loss as customers refuse to accept the hiked price.”
Another hotelier, Ram, who runs Shree Snacks in Karve Nagar, speaking to The Free Press Journal, said, “After the LPG price increase, we are forced to increase our prices. Most of our customers are students. However, if we increase the price, students will not be able to afford it, and it will be a loss and difficult for us to survive. We demand that the higher authorities and the government speak openly about the current situation.”
An employee from Arun Gas Agency near Poona College, based on anonymity, said, “The demand has increased despite the hike in LPG gas cylinder prices. Customers are in panic. The demand for gas cylinders in black is also high; however, we have refused to do so.”
'Employees will be affected massively'
Amit Kumar Sharma, Ex-President of Poona Hoteliers Association, speaking to The Free Press Journal, said, “The shortage of gas in the market actually exists, and a few hotel members are complaining about it and facing challenges due to supply disruptions, which is very essential for kitchen operations. Thousands of customers are served every day, and a large number of employees are also dependent on our industry. An uninterrupted fuel supply is very important for hoteliers. At the same time, we also need to understand the challenges due to the war and the efforts being made by the concerned authorities to tackle the situation."
He added, "My only request to the concerned authorities is to kindly ensure the commercial supply of LPG to restaurants so that businesses are not adversely affected. Looking at the present situation, it would be hasty to comment on how long the disruption will remain, but the government should speak and ensure that the common people are not affected. We are in talks with various government agencies. Ensuring the commercial supply of LPG should not be hampered as many people are dependent on daily wages," he added.
'Pune has more than 10,000 restaurants'
Ganesh Shetty, president of the Pune Restaurants and Hoteliers Association (PRAHA), said, “If the situation continues longer, it will impact lakhs of people who are dependent on this sector. In Pune city alone, more than 10,000 restaurants, snack centres and mess facilities are operational. Additionally, Pune has a large number of students, office-goers and migrants who are directly or indirectly dependent on the hotel business. If the supply of commercial gas cylinders does not return to normal, it could lead to the temporary suspension of operations at some restaurants.”
Ajinkya Udane, Pune Co-Chapter Head of NRAI, said restaurants are an important part of the hospitality sector and provide jobs to thousands of families. He added that the LPG shortage is creating major difficulties for restaurant owners, and many restaurants may be forced to close within a day or two as their gas stock is almost finished.
Saili Jahagirdar, President of the Pune chapter of NRAI, said the situation has become serious. She said most LPG dealers managed operations for the last three days using existing stock, but from Monday, they informed restaurants that no cylinders are currently available and future supply will depend on availability.
'Situation is worsening day by day'
Diinesh Shetty, General Manager at Sarjaa restaurant, said, "The situation is worsening day by day as the rates of gas cylinders for hotels have increased by ₹400 due to the ongoing shortage. At present, we are receiving only one or two cylinders on alternate days and are trying to manage within that supply, which is not sufficient for a full day’s operations."
"We are making every possible effort to arrange additional cylinders so that we can continue running the restaurant without disruption. However, given the current situation, we may have to temporarily close certain cooking stations such as the tandoor and other high gas-consumption sections," he added.
