Bengaluru, March 10 Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday appealed to the Centre for urgent intervention to ensure the supply of adequate commercial LPG cylinders to hotels and restaurants in Bengaluru.
He stated that hotels, restaurants, and catering establishments in the city would be forced to suspend operations if supplies are not restored, which would affect a large number of students and working professionals who rely on them for regular meals.
In his letter to Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri, he also requested him to issue appropriate directions to the oil marketing companies to address the current supply constraints, which would help ease the situation.
Referring to the March 9 order issued by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas prioritizing LPG supply for domestic consumers, Siddaramaiah said that while the intention behind the order to ensure uninterrupted LPG supply to households across the country is well understood and appreciated, its implementation appears to have led to an unintended shortage of commercial LPG in Bengaluru.
He cited that several hotels and restaurant associations in the city have reported that they are unable to procure commercial LPG cylinders, and many establishments are expressing concern that they may have to temporarily shut operations if supplies are not restored soon.
Bengaluru has a large ecosystem of small restaurants, mess facilities, and catering units that serve lakhs of people every day.
According to him, as per the discussions held with the oil marketing companies, the state's commercial LPG demand has traditionally been supported by supplies from the three OMCs – IOCL (around 500-550 MT per day), HPCL (around 300 MT per day), and BPCL (around 230 MT per day), and the sudden disruption of this supply is now severely affecting hotels, catering establishments, and other commercial users in Bengaluru.
He added that any disruption to their functioning will have a direct impact on daily life in the city.
"This issue also affects a large number of students and working professionals who live away from their homes and depend on hotels and mess facilities for regular meals. In addition, wedding halls, hostels, and event venues that rely on commercial LPG for food preparation are also facing uncertainty, particularly with scheduled social and community events," the chief minister said in the letter.
Given the scale of dependence on commercial LPG in a metropolitan city like Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah sought the union minister's intervention to ensure that adequate commercial LPG supply is made available to hotels, restaurants, wedding halls, community halls, and any other commercial establishments.
"Appropriate directions to the oil marketing companies to address the current supply constraints would help ease the situation. A timely resolution will help ensure that businesses continue to operate smoothly while also avoiding inconvenience to thousands of people who rely on these services on a daily basis," he added.