LPG shortage: Eateries trim menus, Ramadan fare shrinks

A shortage of LPG has increased the demand for coal, whose price too has risen.

MUMBAI: Restaurants and caterers in Mumbai have begun to trim their menus and make other adjustments while grappling with a cooking gas shortage triggered by the war in West Asia.

Commercial establishments like the popular eatery at Bhendi Bazar, Shabbir’s Tawakkal Sweets, have been hit hard (Raju Shinde/ht pHOTO)

At New Heroes Restaurant near Grant Road station, Harish Balwa, the owner, said, “We usually prepare around 1,100 servings daily; now we are serving only a limited number of dishes, especially those cooked on coal stoves.”

A shortage of LPG has increased the demand for coal, whose price too has risen. Depending on its quality, coal was available for ₹32-35 per kg until early this week. On Wednesday, it cost ₹40 per kg.

Shops selling traditional ‘sigdis’ or coal stoves are doing brisk business. Sales have seen an uptick, ironically, at a time when the fossil fuel is being phased out.

Meanwhile, the LPG shortage has hit the Muslim community, which is observing the holy month of Ramadan. “We provide food to people twice a day during Ramadan (Sehri and Iftar). Because gas supply is short, some caterers are asking us to arrange for cylinders, while some have increased meal prices by around 25%,” said Firoz Ahmed Ansari, of the non-profit Love All - Serve All, in South Mumbai.

Commercial establishments like the popular eatery at Bhendi Bazar, Shabbir’s Tawakkal Sweets, have been hit hard. Moyad Mithaiwala, the owner, said business usually peaks during Ramadan. “We making less sweets. My factory has been shut since 1.30pm, which is unusual at this time.”

He said arranging for LPG cylinders is becoming a daily struggle and he’s switched to fuels such as coal or electric induction, wherever possible. “We don’t know long the shortage will last. I have bought an induction cooker but I don’t know what I will do with it after the crisis ends,” he said.

But at Noor Mohammedi Hotel & Restaurant, a popular eatery also in Bhendi Bazaar, it’s business as usual. “We cook only on coal and diesel stoves, and use only copper utensils. Diesel stoves have superior heat conductivity,” said Raashid Hakim, of the family that owns the restaurant.

Representatives of the local hotel industry in the Navi Mumbai-Panvel belt say the disruption has affected a large number of eateries. Industry estimates suggest that around 2,000 restaurants operate in the region, employing more than 15,000 workers. Hotel operators said that with LPG supply remaining uncertain, many establishments are limiting the number of dishes prepared each day.

At R Bhagat Tarachand restaurant in the APMC market, a notice has been put up stating that only a special thali will be served until LPG supply improves. Shyam Shetty, a hotelier, said some suppliers were demanding sharply higher prices for LPG cylinders amid the shortage. “In some cases, cylinders that normally cost around ₹1,600– ₹1,700 are being quoted at nearly double the price,” he said.

Satish Shetty, a Navi Mumbai-based caterer, said the crisis has created serious challenges for events booked months in advance. “We have taken bookings for weddings months in advance at ₹250– ₹300 per plate. Now we are not getting even a single LPG cylinder. It has become extremely difficult to manage events,” he said.

For residents, the situation is no better. Families with a one-cylinder quota who have run out are making endless visits to gas agencies. Alternatively, they are checking with neighbours or relatives to see if they have a cylinder to spare.

At a gas agency in Wadala, families who booked on March 2-3 are yet to receive their LPG cylinders, despite previously receiving them within 48 hours. On the other hand, the gas agency claimed they are receiving 30-40% fewer LPG cylinders than earlier.