New Delhi, March 13 Issues with the availability of LPG have begun to disrupt the livelihoods of street vendors across the national capital, forcing many to close their stalls or take out heavy loans to sustain their daily operations.
The disruption has pushed several small-scale traders into financial distress. While some have suspended business, others are buying cylinders at "inflated rates" on the black market to keep their stoves burning.
Naresh Chawla, who operates a fast-food stall near PVR Saket, said that a single establishment often supports several workers and their families.
"One small shop supports eight to 10 livelihoods. I employ three to four workers who have migrated from villages. Many of us have taken loans to run these stalls. If this continues, 30 per cent of street vendors will lose their means of survival," he said.
He added that the exhaustion of savings is making it difficult for vendors to meet household responsibilities and care for elderly parents.
The disruption is visible across the city. In Adarsh Nagar, a food vendor named Vicky said he paid around Rs 4,000 for a small cylinder. To offset the cost, he increased the price of his dishes by Rs 10, but said many customers immediately walked away after hearing the new rate.
"Customers at street stalls are not wealthy. They tell me if they had more money, they would dine at restaurants," Vicky said. He further said that after paying his staff, he lacked the funds to purchase basic ingredients like paneer, having already borrowed money for his mother's treatment.
Many vendors said they are now dipping into savings or taking loans to manage daily household expenses.
In Sangam Vihar, Upendra Gupta, a tea and samosa vendor, said he managed to stay open only after buying a small LPG cylinder for around Rs 2,200 from the black market. Meanwhile, in northwest Delhi, pani puri seller Rafiq Ahmed was forced to close his stall on Thursday afternoon.
"I simply could not arrange a cylinder," Ahmed said, expressing concern for his workers who send their earnings back to their families in rural areas. "They come from very poor backgrounds. I don't know how to face them when I am struggling to make ends meet myself."
Manoj Kumar, a chaat vendor in southeast Delhi, said the shortage has also meant long queues and uncertainty at gas agencies. "We cannot take the LPG (liquified petroleum gas) cylinder from our homes and use it at the stall because then what will we cook for our children?" he said, adding that by the time vendors reach gas agencies, the stock is often exhausted.
The supply situation comes after a government revision of the priority order for allocating domestically produced natural gas, driven by energy supply disruptions linked to the widening West Asia conflict.
According to a gazette notification, LPG production, along with CNG and piped cooking gas, has been placed at the top of the allocation list to ensure these sectors are fully met before gas is supplied elsewhere.
Despite these policy measures, street vendors, who lack the financial reserves of large restaurants, continue to face a precarious future, with many looking for temporary manual labour until the situation improves.
