As supplies shrink, restaurants, hotels face  shortages in commercial LPG

New Delhi: Iran war has caused widescale commercial LPG shortages, disrupting operations at restaurants and hotels nationwide, including in Jammu & Kashmir. Businesses are shrinking menus and hours as the industry calls for urgent government intervention on LPG supplies.

The Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI), Vice-President, Pradeep Shetty, warned that severe LPG shortages are being seen across major cities and states. With no viable alternatives, the industry urgently needs restored supplies to avoid widespread shutdowns. Shetty said severe shortages are being reported in Maharashtra, specifically in Mumbai, where nearly 50 per cent of hotels and restaurants are fearing temporary closure if situation does not improve in the next two days, Pune, Aurangabad, as well as in states including Karnataka, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh.

Pranav Rungta, Vice-President, National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI), said the effort is to get the authorities to recognise the restaurant industry as “essential supply.” This is an unprecedented crisis for the industry that generates ₹2,000 crore daily,” he said.

On Tuesday, NRAI in an advisory outlined various suggestions for its members ranging from rationalising menus to introducing limited “crisis menus” with faster-cooking items and limiting operational hours to peak hours only, among others.