Chennais Hotel Industry Struggles Amid LPG Shortage

Chennai, March 12: The capital of Tamil Nadu, Chennai, is currently facing a severe shortage of cooking gas, impacting daily life and the hotel industry. Many restaurants, bakeries, and tea shops are forced to limit their operations or resort to alternative cooking methods such as wood, coal, and electric stoves.

This crisis extends beyond commercial LPG cylinders, affecting domestic gas supplies as well. Industry sources indicate that the primary reason for this shortage is the ongoing conflict in West Asia, which has severely disrupted fuel supplies.

India imports a significant portion of its LPG production from countries like Kuwait, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia. The current conflict has impacted imports from these nations, leading to a sudden decrease in the availability of cooking gas.

The central government has assured that the supply of LPG cylinders for domestic consumers will not be disrupted. Following this assurance, several gas manufacturing companies have halted or significantly reduced the production of commercial cylinders to prioritize domestic needs. This has directly affected hotels and food businesses in Chennai and surrounding areas.

For the past two days, many restaurants have been operating with their limited stock of cylinders. Smaller and medium-sized hotels that have run out of stock have temporarily closed their establishments. Those that remain open have drastically cut down their menus.

Typically, lunch would feature a variety of dishes such as sambar, different types of curries, mor kuzhambu (buttermilk gravy), rasam, poriyal, avial, and papad. Now, many places are serving only one gravy and one chutney.

Several restaurants have posted notices informing customers about the limited menu currently available. Some hotels are preparing dishes that require less fuel, such as tomato rice, tamarind rice, and lemon rice.

The situation has become so critical that some non-vegetarian restaurants have stopped making omelets, while many tea shops have ceased preparing snacks like vada and bhaji.

Popular restaurants in areas like Nungambakkam and Egmore are now cooking using coal, wood, or electric stoves. This sudden shift has led to a spike in the demand for firewood, causing prices to soar. According to hotel owners, the cost of one ton of wood has increased by 500 to 1,000 rupees in recent days.

The gas crisis is also affecting educational institutions. Many colleges and universities in the city are experiencing a significant shortage of gas cylinders in their hostels. As a result, some institutions have decided to temporarily close hostels and conduct classes online.

A private medical college in Chennai announced that regular classes will be suspended from March 12 to March 25, with studies being conducted online. A circular issued by the college administration has requested hostel residents to vacate their rooms, while faculty and staff will continue to come to campus as usual.

Restaurant owners warn that if the supply of commercial gas is not restored soon, many hotels and food establishments in the city could face permanent closure.