An LPG shortage is forcing around 40 per cent of restaurants in Kerala to shut down as many establishments are unable to switch to alternative cooking methods, industry representatives said. Apart from restaurants, caterers, hostels, canteens and crematoriums have also been affected by the LPG shortage following the conflict in West Asia.
G Jayapal, president of the Kerala Hotel and Restaurant Association (KHRA), told PTI that by Friday around 40 per cent of restaurants in the state would shut down. Till Thursday, around 20 per cent of restaurants had closed. The number will increase to 40 per cent by Friday as LPG stocks will run out soon, he said. Even though the central and state governments have suggested alternative cooking methods, the KHRA said that using firewood in hotels in urban areas is not feasible.
As part of food safety standards, most restaurants in urban areas have adopted modern kitchen systems. They do not have arrangements for cooking with firewood or alternative fuels. Restaurants in urban areas are the worst hit by the crisis, he said. Jayapal alleged that some private LPG suppliers were charging almost double the price for cylinders and that the price of firewood had also increased in the last two days.
One of our members in Kasaragod said a private 17 kg LPG cylinder was supplied for Rs 3,000. The normal rate for a 19 kg cylinder is around Rs 1,800. Firewood prices have also skyrocketed, and it is not easy to switch to alternative measures, he said. He said the situation could have been better managed if the government had alerted people to the possible shortage soon after the conflict in West Asia began.
If they had informed us about the possible LPG shortage earlier, many restaurant owners would have had enough time to make alternative arrangements. Everything was normal till the beginning of this week, and the crisis started suddenly, he said. V Sunukumar, Thiruvananthapuram district president of the All Kerala Caterers Association, told PTI that the sector is facing difficulties as bookings have already been made for the upcoming wedding season beginning with the Malayalam month Medam on March 15.
Source : https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/services/hotels-/-restaurants/lpg-shortage-forces-around-40-of-restaurants-in-kerala-to-shut-down/articleshow/129542310.cms?from=mdr