Thiruvananthapuram, March 11 Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan expressed serious concern on Wednesday regarding the availability of cooking gas in the country, given the tensions in West Asia, and appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene and ensure adequate supply, and take urgent measures to mitigate the impact of rising prices.
In a statement, Vijayan said that concerns have been raised across the country regarding the availability of LPG following the conflicts in West Asia.
He also wrote a letter to Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri, requesting the Centre's intervention.
In the letter, Vijayan pointed out that Kerala has a significant working population that travels across districts and a large number of migrant workers from other states.
"All these groups rely on small and medium hotels and restaurants for food. As a result of the shortage of LPG cylinders, the association of hotels and restaurants has informed that most of them will not be able to function normally," he noted.
He said that the hardship caused to the people would be substantial.
"I request the Union Government to ensure the availability of adequate LPG supply at affordable prices to domestic consumers and hotels and restaurants, if necessary, by providing a subsidy from budgetary resources."
The CM also noted that the recent increase in cooking gas prices has already increased the financial burden on ordinary families.
Citing reports of cooking gas shortages in various parts of Kerala, he said that limiting the booking interval for domestic LPG connections to 27 days has further worsened the situation.
The chief minister said that there were apprehensions that uncertainty in LPG supply could also affect the service sector, including hotels and restaurants in the state.
Workers travelling between districts and migrant labourers arriving from other states mainly depend on these establishments for food, he pointed out.
If the disruption in gas supply continues, many establishments may be forced to halt operations, the business community has warned, he added.
According to him, the demand for cooking gas among households is likely to increase as it is the month of Ramadan.
In this situation affecting the lives of ordinary people as well as the business sector, the Centre should urgently intervene to ensure adequate availability of LPG and reduce the impact of the price rise, he added.
Later in a tweet, the CM said that with eateries on the brink of closure, livelihoods and food security are under threat in the state.
"This situation demands immediate attention as it cripples small businesses and burdens the common man in Kerala during Ramadan. The Union Govt must intervene urgently to stabilise supply, revise restrictive policies, and provide relief to the millions affected," he said.