Long queue under blazing sun just for a gas bottle gives business opportunity to roadside tea vendor

Pune:A queue of people stretches at least 2km under the blazing sun in Chakan on Saturday — not for any freebies or autographs of a star, just to keep the hearth burning back home. Hundreds take the patience test in front of a gas distribution agency for the red LPG bottle.Some of them go back home smiling before the Sun tilts west, with a cylinder full of gas to cook. The wait prolongs for the rest.A delivery boy passes by with a van of filled LPG cylinders. "All's well," he tells people waiting in the serpentine queue.A sizable number of people have been in the queue from late in the night. The goal: Secure household fuel before the stock runs out."I got lucky today," says Anil Bokad, after waiting for nearly four hours. Cylinder tied to his motorcycle, he slowly moves on.Suraj Chaudhari, another LPG consumer, runs out of patience. "I have been standing here since 8am. It's afternoon now. I don't think I shall get my refilled cylinder anytime soon," he says, standing anxiously in the long queue.The rush for gas bottles creates unexpected opportunities for small vendors. Avadut, a roadside tea and water seller near the gas agency, says he has been "in business" from around 2am on Saturday."I have done a business of over Rs7,000 by selling tea and water. People standing in the queue need something to drink in this heat," Avadut says.Fuel crisis is not imminent for everyone in the queue, though. The gas cylinder of Satyendra Yadav, a soft-toy seller on Pune–Nashik Road near Alandi Fata, says his current cylinder may last for about another week."I cook my food at my roadside stall. But if this LPG crisis continues, I may have to start cooking on a woodfire. There is plenty of dry wood behind the nearby hillock," says Yadav, hailing from Bihar and living in Pune for the past four years.The LPG cylinder shortage is a threat to the livelihood of small food vendors. Meet Ashwini Davang. She runs a roadside Appam stall in Chikhali with her family. The sudden spike in the LPG price in the black market has pushed her business to the brink."For making Appams, we don't need a very high intensity flame. So, we use small refillable LPG cylinders. Earlier, we could get these refilled for around Rs550. Now, the spot refills have completely stopped and a refill costs around Rs2,700 in the black market," she saysDavang says one of her cylinders is empty and the second is near-empty. "I cannot afford the black market price. It's not cost-effective. My family and I will have no option but to shut shop and sit at home if the situation continues like this," she says.Another LPG consumer, Harlal Kumavat, has been in the queue since 1.30am, while the agency starts distributing cylinders only after 8.30am. "Tomorrow is Sunday and the agency will be closed. I feel it should remain open considering the situation," he says.Gas distributor Pradip Narwade says the agency has been trying to speed up the process. "We distributed over 100 cylinders in about 10 minutes at one point. Customers first receive a receipt after making the payment, which we collect once the refilled cylinder is handed over," he says.Many have been in the queue to just collect the cylinder, after booking online and making the payment. Bharat Kokane is among them. "I booked the cylinder and paid online on March 9. I was given today's date (March 14) to collect the cylinder. I have been in the queue since wee hours," he says, hoping his turn would come before supplies run out.