Chennai, March 10 AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami appealed to the Centre on Tuesday to take appropriate measures to prevent the LPG cylinder shortage from worsening and ensure the timely availability of gas cylinders.
He also urged the ruling DMK to make arrangements for the continuous operation of hotels and restaurants across Tamil Nadu, instead of causing unnecessary panic among the people.
Amidst concerns over disruptions in imports due to the West Asia conflict, and with many parts of Tamil Nadu already facing the impact of the looming LPG cylinder shortage, Palaniswami said that the ongoing war between Iran and Israel has created various problems in transporting petroleum products to India.
As a result, the Indian Oil Corporation has announced that it will prioritize the availability of gas cylinders for domestic consumers and essential non-domestic sectors, he said.
"The restaurants in Tamil Nadu have already been affected due to the unavailability of LPG cylinders in some districts. I urge the Central Government to take appropriate measures to prevent this problem from worsening and ensure the timely availability of gas cylinders," Palaniswami said in a post on the social media platform 'X.'
Furthermore, he said that the DMK government should make arrangements for the continuous operation of restaurants in the state, instead of causing unnecessary fear among the people.
"To ensure that the poor sections are not affected, the Amma canteens should continue to operate at full capacity and ensure that food is served without any hindrance," the former Chief Minister said.
The Amma canteens (Amma Unavagam) scheme was launched in 2013 by then Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa to provide nutritious food at subsidized prices to eliminate hunger, especially among the poor and vulnerable sections.