The North News
Shimla, March 11
The Federation of Himachal Hotels and Restaurant Association (FOHHRA) on Tuesday urged the Union government to take necessary steps to ensure an uninterrupted supply of commercial LPG cylinders.
In a letter to Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri, FOHHRA president Gajender Thakur expressed concern about the shortage and irregular supply of commercial LPG cylinders in the market.
Amid the ongoing West Asia war, the central government has revised the priority order for allocating domestically produced natural gas, placing LPG production alongside CNG and piped cooking gas at the top. This has led to a supply crunch for hotels and restaurants, which use market-priced commercial LPG.
Companies are not bottling commercial cylinders; therefore, there would be a demand-supply gap in the coming days, a Shimla-based gas agency owner told PTI.
Some hoteliers in the state reported a shortage of commercial LPG cylinders.
FOHHRA, in its letter, urged the minister to take suitable measures to stabilize the supply chain and provide priority allocation to the hospitality sector so that hotels and restaurants can continue their services without any disruption.
The hospitality industry, particularly in tourism-dependent states like Himachal Pradesh, relies heavily on commercial LPG cylinders for day-to-day operations such as cooking and food preparation, he said.
Hotels, restaurants, dhabas and catering establishments serving thousands of tourists and local residents depend entirely on LPG and any disruption or shortage in the cooking fuel directly affects their ability to operate efficiently, he added.
Small and medium hospitality establishments are more vulnerable to such shortages as they lack alternative energy arrangements.
A prolonged disruption in LPG supply may lead to increased operational costs, interruptions in service, and economic strain on the hospitality sector, which contributes significantly to employment and the regional economy, he added.
