Chennai, March 12: A growing shortage of cooking gas cylinders is beginning to disrupt daily life in Chennai, forcing several restaurants, bakeries and tea shops to scale down operations or switch to alternative cooking methods such as firewood and electric stoves.
The crisis is not limited to commercial LPG cylinders; domestic cooking gas supplies have also been affected. Industry sources say the shortage is linked to disruptions in fuel supply chains caused by the ongoing conflict in West Asia.
India depends on imports of liquefied petroleum gas and refined crude derivatives from countries such as Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia for LPG production.
With imports currently restricted due to the conflict, the availability of cooking gas has dropped sharply. The Central government has assured an uninterrupted supply of LPG cylinders for households. Following this announcement, most gas manufacturing companies have reportedly halted or significantly reduced production of commercial cylinders to prioritise domestic consumption. As a result, restaurants, bakeries and tea stalls across Chennai and its suburbs are struggling to procure commercial LPG cylinders.
Many establishments have been running their kitchens using the limited stock of cylinders available over the past two days. Several small and medium-sized eateries that have exhausted their supplies have temporarily shut down operations. Restaurants that remain open have drastically reduced their menus.
While a typical lunch service usually includes items such as sambar, curry gravies, buttermilk gravy, rasam, poriyal, aviyal and papad, many establishments are currently serving only one gravy and a single chutney.
Notices informing customers about the limited menu have been placed outside several restaurants. Some eateries are preparing only simple dishes such as tomato rice, tamarind rice and lemon rice that require less fuel.
A few non-vegetarian restaurants have even stopped serving omelettes, while tea shops have suspended the preparation of snacks such as vada and bajji. Several popular restaurants in areas such as Nungambakkam and Egmore have begun cooking using charcoal, firewood or electric stoves.
This shift has led to a sudden spike in demand for firewood, pushing up prices. Restaurant owners said the cost of a ton of firewood has increased by Rs 500 to Rs 1,000 in recent days. The shortage has also affected educational institutions. Hostels attached to colleges and universities in the city are facing a severe lack of gas cylinders. Some institutions have decided to temporarily close hostels and continue classes online. A private medical college in Chennai has announced that regular classes will remain suspended from March 12 to March 25 due to the gas shortage, with teaching continuing in online mode.
According to a circular issued by the college administration, students residing in hostels have been asked to vacate their rooms, while faculty and staff will continue to report to the campus as usual. Restaurant owners warn that if commercial gas supplies are not restored soon, many establishments may be forced to shut down completely.
–IANS