Bhubaneswar/Berhampur, March 23 Hundreds of roadside eateries and small restaurants in Odisha have been forced to reduce their menus, increase prices, and, in several cases, switch to coal and firewood due to a shortage of commercial LPG cylinders.
Prasant Kumar Bhatt, the manager of a vegetarian restaurant in Bhubaneswar, said that they had to drastically reduce their menu due to the prevailing crisis.
"Earlier, we were offering 180 different food items to our customers. But now we have reduced it to 18 because we are not getting enough cylinders," he said.
He added that many food items are now being prepared using induction cooktops.
Kishore Mutton, a famous hotel in the state capital, has switched to firewood to meet its fuel demand following the shortage of cooking gas.
"As we are not getting adequate numbers of commercial cylinders, we are no longer serving dinner," the hotel's owner said.
Due to the crisis, several street food vendors at ‘Khaogali’ here have closed their shops, while others have raised the prices of food items.
Similarly, several tiffin centre owners in Berhampur, known for their South Indian dishes, have hiked prices amid the alleged shortage of commercial LPG supply.
The price of items like idli, vada, and puri, which were previously sold at Rs 5 per piece, has now increased to Rs 7, while upma and dosa, which were priced at Rs 10 and Rs 30, have been increased to Rs 15 and Rs 40, respectively.
"As we have to spend more on fuel and cooking oil, we have had to increase the prices of different items," a food vendor said.
Krushna Chandra Panigrahy, who sells 'ghugni' near Khallikote Unitary University in Berhampur, said he has increased the price from Rs 25 to Rs 30 per plate.
The short supply of commercial LPG and a crackdown by the district administration on the use of domestic cylinders for commercial purposes have forced some vendors to shut down operations.
Brundaban Panda, a jalebi maker near Bijipur area, said he was forced to shut his unit.
The owner of Bishnupriya hotel, a small eatery in Baliapal area of Balasore district, said he has cut down the menu and offers only basic food items like rice, dal, curry, papad, etc.
"If such a situation continues, we will be forced to close the hotel," he said.
In Cuttack, a hotel owner said many workers dependent on the business have also been affected.
"Along with me, several people, including cooks and suppliers, depend on the hotel for their livelihood. So we switched to firewood to prepare limited food items," he said.
Students and job aspirants, who generally stay in messes and cook their own food using small LPG cylinders, are also facing difficulties due to the shortage and rising prices.
However, Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister K C Patra said that there is an adequate stock of commercial LPG cylinders in the state and that there is no need to panic.
Speaking to reporters, Patra said that 14,000 commercial LPG cylinders are currently available in the state against a daily demand of 2,000.
He said that the Centre has enhanced commercial LPG allocation to 50 per cent from the earlier 20 per cent.
"While 20 per cent was designated for commercial use, the central government has permitted an additional 20 per cent to states specifically for restaurants and hotels. The remaining 10 per cent is subject to certain conditions for supply, which we will comply with," he said.
He informed that the state government has also intensified raids across multiple locations to curb black marketing of LPG cylinders.
"Strict action will be taken against those found involved in illegal practices," Patra warned.
