Shimla, March 13 Amid reports of the West Asia conflict disrupting the supply of commercial LPG in many parts of the country, the owners of small eateries in Shimla are feeling the pressure of "irregular" supply, forcing some dhaba owners in Lakkar Bazaar to close their shops due to the unavailability of commercial cylinders.
While some officials said that LPG supply remained unaffected despite the recent geopolitical developments, a dhaba owner in Lakkar Bazar near The Ridge said he had to close his eatery as commercial cylinders were not available.
"I have sent the workers home. If the situation doesn't improve soon, paying rent will be an issue," Lokinder, who runs the dhaba from a rented shop in the busy marketplace, said.
Ram Sharma, the owner of Amar Bhojanalya, who closed his eatery on Thursday evening as cylinders were not available, appealed to the government to ensure the supply of commercial LPG so that his business continues.
"While there is no shortage of domestic LPG cylinders in the state, commercial consumers are facing a problem. The available stock with the dealers is being prioritised for the essential sectors, such as hospitals and educational institutions, both government and private," Mohammad Amid, divisional sales head at the Indian Oil Corporation, said.
"There are about 55,000 commercial connections in Himachal Pradesh. We are supplying 19 kg commercial cylinders to hospitals and educational institutions, but the supply of 47 kg and 425 kg cylinders has been hit. Keeping in view the demand from the tourism players, distributors have been asked to provide 19 kg commercial cylinders to them from the available stock of 12,000 units," he said.
The official also said that hotel and restaurant owners can apply for domestic connections to feed their staff members.
Another dhaba owner in Lakkar Bazaar, Laxmi Kant, said his eatery has been closed for the past two days due to the unavailability of commercial gas.
"Many attendants of patients admitted to the Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC) located nearby eat here, who will be affected if the situation doesn't improve soon," Laxmi Kant said.
A local hotelier, Sushant Nag, said he was forced to order two commercial inductions from Chandigarh at a higher rate due to the shortage of commercial cylinders.