Gurgaon: The supply of commercial LPG cylinders has been completely stopped from Monday, affecting restaurants, small businesses and commercial establishments that rely heavily on bottled gas.
The Union govt, in a letter to the gas agencies, has directed them to extend the waiting time for domestic LPG cylinders and has stopped the supply of all commercial cylinders until further orders.
However, the restrictions apply only to LPG and will not impact piped natural gas (PNG) or compressed natural gas (CNG) services in the city. This comes in the wake of the war in West Asia, which has disrupted the gas supply.
Small businesses are likely to bear the brunt even as the disruption in the supply of commercial cylinders is expected to affect the work of restaurants, eateries and commercial establishments.
A member of National Restaurant Association of India said, "Many big restaurants moved to PNG connections, but standalone restaurants, eateries and street food vendors will be affected. The impact will be visible in the next few days."
Sushil Sharma, who runs a street food cart in Sector 30, said disruption in supply of commercial LPG will disrupt their operations.
"How will we run our operation without gas?" said Sharma, adding that small vendors like him will be worst affected by the restriction. He has urged the govt to "consider the situation of small vendors".
Meanwhile, city residents are facing longer delays in receiving domestic LPG cylinders, with the waiting period rising from 15 to 25 days amid supply constraints.
Domestic PNG users will continue to receive uninterrupted supply, though authorities directed agencies to restrict commercial PNG. CNG supply for vehicles also remains unaffected.
On average, around 13,000 to 15,000 cooking cylinders are supplied to households in Gurgaon every day, while around 5,000 commercial cylinders are supplied in a day.
Arun Sachdeva of Raj Gas Service said that until now, consumers could book LPG cylinders after a gap of 15 days for domestic use, "but the time period was extended on the direction of the govt".
"The booking system is completely online. One can request a new cylinder only after a gap of 25 days from the delivery of the last cylinder," said Sachdeva. He added that commercial cylinders were supplied until Saturday and they stopped receiving commercial cylinders from Monday.
Piped gas users don't have such supply worries for now. However, prices may increase.
Managing director of Haryana City Gas Limited Rahul Chopra said that as per the govt direction, supply for domestic users and CNG stations is a priority and there will be no cuts or disruption in supply to this segment.
"For commercial and industrial users, there might be some restrictions on supply, but the modalities are not decided yet," said Chopra.
In Gurgaon, Haryana City Gas has 60 CNG stations, 80,000 domestic connections, and more than 1,000 commercial and industrial connections.
The residents have not faced a shortage till now but they are anxious about the availability of LPG.
"Right now we have a gas cylinder but the decision to increase the waiting time from 15 to 25 days is troubling. What will we do if cylinders don't last 25 days?" asked Manoj Sharma, resident of Sector 49.
He said residents will have to cut short the use of LPG cylinders.
Sangeeta Yadav, who lives in a joint family, said they have eight members in the family, including children, and the kitchen remains active almost throughout the day.
"Our consumption is high as we have a big family. Our cylinders don't last more than 20-25 days. What if it gets finished before 25 days," said Yadav, adding that they are "worried ".
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