Caterers say firewood won’t work for all dishes

Madurai: Shortage of commercial LPG cylinders is affecting functions happening around the city, particularly marriages. M Paneerselvam, a private caterer, told TOI that marriage halls are insisting they work with firewood. "Most halls which use LPG as fuel insist we prepare the food on our premises and transfer it to the marriage hall," he said."Supply of commercial cylinders is very limited; even if available, prices are skyrocketing. Private cylinders are selling even at Rs5000," he added. He stated that for a medium-sized order they require around five LPG cylinders a day, and for huge orders, around 15 cylinders. "Some items like chicken 65, kuzhi omelette, and bun halwa require an LPG stove for preparation as these kinds of foods require constant heat; we can't achieve that using a firewood stove. We can manage for this month, but if the situation continues, we don't know what will be the consequences," he added.S Usman of Al Mas Catering Service said they are using firewood stoves. "We are worried about bookings for next month. If there isn't adequate LPG, our situation will be worse," he added. He said making ‘nonbu kanji' in mosques has become difficult. "This situation shouldn't continue, and the govt must take measures to ensure that livelihoods are not affected," he said.The management of a marriage hall at Teppakulam says gas cylinder shortage has upset things. "As of now, booking for functions hasn't started yet. Once booking starts, and LPG shortage persists, we have to move to a firewood stove. In our hall we have the facility to cook on firewood," he said.