LPG crisis turns up heat on Ludhiana’s food business owners

Gurvinder SinghLudhiana: In a city known for its love for food, owners of eateries are at their wits' end. The conflict in the middle east has just started but already, food business owners are facing difficulties of a kind they have never faced before. Food joint owners say they are struggling to keep their businesses running in the face of shortage of commercial cylinders. Many say they have been running from pillar to post but supplies remain scarce, forcing them to limit their menu or consider shutting operations.The shortage comes at a time when food vendors were already facing reduced customer footfall due to the economic slowdown triggered by the ongoing war situation. With fuel supplies drying up, several small businesses say they are now left with no option but to cut down operations or explore alternative cooking fuels.Sham Kumar, who runs a small food outlet near Ghumar Mandi, said the crisis has left him deeply worried about sustaining his business. "My monthly rent is Rs 80,000 and I have four employees whose salaries I must pay. I have been searching everywhere for cylinders. In the black market, I have been quoted varying rates of Rs 1,500, Rs 2,000 and Rs 3,500," he said. He added that he managed to procure two cylinders for Rs 2,100 each from Raikot after considerable effort, but is uncertain how long the supply will last."There was already less work because of the war situation, as people are worried about the future and now this shortage has made things worse. The govt says stock is adequate, but just one week of the situation has created this crisis. I don't know what will happen next," he said.Rahul Sharma, another food joint owner said he spent an entire morning searching for LPG cylinders but returned empty-handed. "I first went to the sabzi mandi early morning to buy vegetables and then started looking for cylinders. I checked College Road, Hambran Road, Kitchlu Nagar and other other areas, but could not find a single cylinder at any price," he said.Due to the shortage, many food vendors are reducing the number of items they serve. Pooja, who runs a small eatery with her husband said she has already removed several popular dishes from her menu. "We have stopped making dosa and tawa roti because they require continuous gas usage. I have only one cylinder left which will last for about two more days. After that, I don't know what we will do," she said.Baljinder Kaur, who operates a small cart selling tikki, rajma and kadhi chawal near Khalsa College, said she too is down to her last cylinder. Having run the cart for nearly one and a half years, she fears the shortage could derail their livelihood. "I have only one cylinder left. If the shortage continues, I might have to stop cooking food and shift to selling juice instead, depending on whatever fuel is available. I am in a fix," she said.Other vendors in areas such as Model Town are also exploring alternatives. Abhishek, who runs a tikki and fast-food stall, said he is trying to manage with the limited gas available for the next few days but is unsure how long he can continue. Devinder Singh, who operates a fast-food joint in Model Town, said he is not sure about the future. Switching to induction cooktops is not practical for most street food businesses, he said. "Our cooking involves large tawas and continuous heating, which induction cannot support effectively. If gas does not become available soon, we may have to shut down," he said.Meanwhile, some vendors are considering a return to traditional fuels. Vishal, who runs a tea stall near Gole Market, said he may switch to coal-based stoves if LPG supplies did not improve."If we don't get cylinders, coal may be the only option left," he said.Jaskirat Singh, who runs a fast food joint on Mundian Road said prices have surged across the board. Besides cyliders, he said the price of disposable plates and bowls had also increased from Rs 100 to Rs 150 per bundle.Residents are complaining because of the dwindling options. "I used to have a bhatura or roti for lunch, but I didn't get it from the cart I have it from. It is too expensive in dhabas or restaurants," said Raman, who works in Feroze Gandhi market. Industry on shaky ground Street food vendors and small eateries in Ludhiana are struggling due to a severe shortage of commercial LPG cylinders Vendors say they have been searching across multiple areas but cannot find cylinders even at high black-market rates Shortage comes amid reduced footfall caused by economic slowdown linked to the ongoing Middle East conflict Many food joints have cut down menus; items like dosa, tawa roti and other gas-intensive dishes removed Several vendors are down to their last cylinder and fear they may have to shut operations if supply doesn't improve Some are considering alternative fuels like coal; others say induction cooktops aren't suitable for large-scale tawa cooking Prices of other inputs such as disposable plates and bowls have also risen sharply Customers complain that affordable street-food options are shrinking as vendors scale back or stop operations