With the onset of Chaitra Navratri, the shortage of commercial LPG cylinders has put the preparation of traditional fasting delicacies at various restaurants in the state capital at stake. Restaurant owners said that slow-burning furnaces have forced them to cut down their “fasting thali” menu by half.
Some establishments are resorting to diesel furnaces, while others are trying to manage with induction cooktops. However, in terms of purity and taste, businesses have suffered a decline of 30–50%, said the restaurant owners.
Some major establishments have also decided not to serve fasting thalis this year.
At Radhelal Parampara, Shankar Gupta said that their fasting snacks are usually prepared in workshops. “Due to the unavailability of commercial LPG cylinders, we had to rely on diesel furnaces. However, even the diesel furnaces come with their own limitations, allowing us to produce only 70% of our usual output, resulting in a 30% drop in business this season,” said Gupta.
Manoj from Classic Sweets in Mahanagar said that the fuel crisis has halved their preparations. Compared to previous years, they couldn’t produce even 50% of their items. “The situation became so critical that we had to completely shut down our ‘fasting chaat’ counter. Currently, operations are being managed on furnaces, limiting the fasting thali to just puri and sabzi,” said Manoj.
Gunjan Tolani, owner of Kanchan Sweets, said that they adopted a hybrid model using induction and diesel furnaces. “Since fasting food is cooked in pure desi ghee, we had to purchase a new fryer. Although production costs have increased significantly, we chose not to pass the burden onto customers and kept prices unchanged,” said Tolani.
{{/usCountry}}Gunjan Tolani, owner of Kanchan Sweets, said that they adopted a hybrid model using induction and diesel furnaces. “Since fasting food is cooked in pure desi ghee, we had to purchase a new fryer. Although production costs have increased significantly, we chose not to pass the burden onto customers and kept prices unchanged,” said Tolani.
{{/usCountry}}Vineet, owner of Madhurima in Aminabad, said they are relying on diesel and coal furnaces due to commercial LPG shortages. “With only 50% of items being prepared, fulfilling daily orders itself has become difficult and as a result, we have dropped the idea of offering fasting thalis this year. Customers can only get limited fasting snacks cooked on traditional furnaces,” said Vineet.
However, Srijal Gupta, owner at Madhurima Gomtinagar, said that even though they are struggling due to the commercial LPG shortage, they will pull off the Navratri menu. “Costs of everything have recorded a rise, so we are discussing increasing prices of the food products,” said Gupta.
Rajesh Gupta from Mahesh Mansarovar in Nirala Nagar shared that they purchased diesel furnaces and three large induction units to cope with the crisis. “Alternative cooking fuels are not able to fully replace LPG. While puris can be cooked on high flame and some tasks managed on induction, dishes requiring medium flame—like crispy potatoes and special snacks—are difficult to prepare. Due to these limitations, several key items have been dropped from the menu this year,” said Gupta.
During the nine-day festival, devotees of all ages observe fasts, surviving on fruits, curd, milk and dishes made of water chestnut flour.