LPG shortage stalls Agra’s petha industry, 30 units shut in Noori Gate

Agra: The petha industry in Agra's Noori Gate area has come to a near standstill as commercial LPG cylinders have become scarce amid tensions in West Asia over the past 12 days.Petha -- a translucent, sugar-coated sweet closely associated with Agra -- is part of a Rs 500 crore industry that employs nearly 5,000 people. There are nearly 70 petha units in Noori Gate, of which about 30 have shut over the past week as they are not receiving LPG cylinders. With manufacturing affected, other parts of the trade are also likely to feel the impact, including transporters, farmers who grow raw petha and others linked to the supply chain. Agra Vyapar Mandal president TN Agarwal and Sweets and Petha Association president Rajesh Agarwal raised the issue of gas shortage with the administration earlier this week. It was decided that petha units would be supplied with piped natural gas (PNG) and that new connections would be given, but the supply has not yet begun.Speaking to TOI, Rajesh Agarwal said, "My petha unit has been shut due to the unavailability of LPG. A Green Gas pipeline had already been laid in the Noori Gate area. During the meeting, officials were instructed to start supply to those who have connections and provide new connections to traders who want them. Despite this, PNG supply to the petha units has not started. We have Navratri next month, and people break their fast with petha. We receive orders from across the country and I am uncertain how we will fulfil them."Agarwal added that units in the Noori Gate area produce petha worth Rs 15–20 lakh every day. "Work is being managed only with old stock. Despite repeated efforts by traders, supply has not started. This has created problems for everyone associated with the trade. Production has reduced by around 50%, resulting in financial losses," he said.Sharing similar concerns, Nitesh Sharma, who runs a petha unit in the area, said, "Whatever little gas was left in the cylinders has now run out. Navratri is next week, so demand for petha will increase as those organising bhandaras distribute it as a sweet. PNG has not been provided yet. I applied for a connection in 2018, but it has not been given. The pipeline has been laid, but the connection has not been provided."Meanwhile, district supply officer (DSO) Anand Kumar said, "PNG was part of the plan and we are working to provide it. However, new connections have been put on hold. In the coming days, we expect PNG to be supplied to petha manufacturers."Long before it became synonymous with Agra, petha is believed to have originated in Mughal kitchens. Legend has it that the energy-rich confection was distributed to labourers working on the Taj Mahal during the reign of Shah Jahan. Over the centuries, it came to embody the city's culinary identity. Today, it is sold in about 25 variants, including paan, chocolate, kesar and angoori flavours.