Eateries in twin cities scale down ops, shut shop amid current LPG situation

Bhubaneswar: Given the prevailing LPG situation on account of the conflict in West Asia, many hotels and small eateries in twin cities are either scaling down operations, increasing food costs or temporarily shutting down. Those running tiffin centres and roadside tea stalls said the current LPG situation has disrupted livelihoods.

On Thursday, a popular stall selling south Indian food at Ashok Nagar in Bhubaneswar shut down its operations after its existing stock of commercial LPG was exhausted. The stall’s four employees are now staring at uncertainty. “I had LPG stock for three days, which lasted till this morning and there is no further supply. I asked my workers and cook to return home and join only after supplies normalise. I cannot pay them if there is no business,” S Duryodhan, the stall’s owner, said.




Earlier, the stall had made arrangements for cooking on firewood but Duryodhan dismantled it two years ago owing to complaints of pollution from locals and fines imposed by Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC). “Restoring it now will need new investment, which is not feasible at the moment,” Duryodhan said.

A hotel close to the south Indian stall at Ashok Nagar shifted to large induction cooktops but limited the lunch and dinner menu to just rice, curries and dal.

Some establishments in Bhubaneswar tried to adapt. A few hotels switched to induction cooktops, though that meant trimming their menus and reducing the quantity of food prepared.

Another small hotel at Nandankanan Road shifted to cooking on firewood on Thursday. But the cost of all food items increased by Rs 10 as firewood costs marginally increased in the last 2 to 3 days. “We have a limited space in the hotel and using firewood causes pollution within the hotel area, resulting in discomfort to the diners. But we have to use firewood to run the kitchen as the hotel cannot be shut down entirely. There are seven cooks and helpers whose livelihood is dependent on this kitchen,” Biswanath Debata, the owner, said.

On Wednesday, BMC allowed roadside eateries, hotels and dhabas to use firewood for cooking in view of the current situation. But using firewood is not an option for all. Food trucks at Khao Galis near Ram Mandir and Patia are still struggling with the current situation as shifting to conventional firewood is not practical for them. “We may have to shut our shop because there are just two cylinders left with us. Fast food needs a high flame and given the current availability of commercial cylinders, running the food truck is impossible now,” Sudhir Rout, a cook and owner of a food truck that operates near Ram Mandir, said.

In Cuttack, Nrusingha Behera, a tea seller at Buxi Bazaar, has been running his business only in the mornings for the last three days. He usually opens his shop at 7am and keeps the stove running till late evening. “But now, I am struggling to manage even half my usual sales,” he said. Behera has decided to keep his shop open only in the mornings to ration the existing gas stock.

Although a majority of small restaurant and tiffin centre owners have not increased their food costs, they said a price rise is inevitable if the situation continues for a few more days.