No commercial LPG ban: Govt; shortage of cylinders: Mumbai hoteliers

Mumbai/Pune: While restaurateurs and hoteliers in Mumbai complained of shortage of commercial liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders on Friday, saying they feared this could be linked to the Middle East crisis, the ministry of petroleum and natural gas clarified there is no ban on the supply. The clarification came after a recent central govt order triggered widespread confusion among LPG distributors and hospitality industry bodies in Maharashtra, some of whom believed it required supplies to be restricted to domestic consumers. The confusion arose from a clause in the order that oil marketing companies must ensure LPG procured under the directive is supplied or marketed "solely" to domestic LPG consumers. Clarifying the provision, an official said the clause applied only to "additional LPG" that will now be produced after diverting propane and butane streams earlier used in petrochemical manufacturing. Meanwhile, Vijay Shetty, president of AHAR, said most restaurants keep extra commercial cylinders that last for two to three days. "Today is already the second day. If the supply stops for two more days, there may be an issue," he told TOI. Industry representatives estimate nearly 9,000 restaurants and bars in Mumbai city and suburbs could be forced to suspend food service within days if the shortage of commercial LPG cylinders worsens. Around 6,000 restaurants that run on piped natural gas are watching developments closely after Mahanagar Gas Ltd issued a precautionary advisory to hoteliers. For now, hoteliers say the immediate impact is being felt mainly by those using commercial LPG cylinders."Any disruption in the supply of commercial LPG would severely affect the sector, impacting the livelihoods of millions of workers," said Pradeep Shetty, spokesperson, HRAWI, urging authorities to ensure uninterrupted supply to avoid economic and social disruption.A statement from Mahanagar Gas Ltd, which supplies piped gas said: "In case gas supplies to MGL are curtailed due to problems in LNG import, there could be some impact on gas supply to MGL's industrial and commercial customers. This however would be mitigated as almost all of these customers have recourse to alternative hydrocarbon fuels."(With Somit Sen)