Hundreds of Vijayawada eateries suspend operations over cooking gas shortage

Vijayawada: The shortage of commercial cooking gas cylinders has forced hundreds of hotels and eateries in Vijayawada to suspend their operations, leaving food lovers and regular customers struggling to find their favourite meals.The impact is being felt most strongly among restaurants and tiffin centres that cater to the city's middle-class population. Vijayawada has around 650 tiffin centres, and nearly 70 percent have closed due to the shortage of commercial LPG cylinders. Customers arriving for their usual morning breakfast or evening snacks were shocked to find the shutters of the eateries down, with notices on the doors citing "gas shortage".Residents said the closures have disrupted their daily routines. "We depend on nearby tiffin centres for breakfast before going to work. Suddenly everything is closed," said Anil Nath, who lives near Benz Circle and depends on these eateries for his food.The crisis is not limited to small eateries alone. Vijayawada has around 350 medium-sized hotels, of which nearly 60 have already suspended operations. Out of over 280 major tiffin shops, a majority downed their shutters on Thursday. Other hotel owners said they do not have enough LPG stocks to continue operations for more than one day.Several prominent hotels have also announced that they will suspend operations from Friday if the gas shortage continues. In addition, daily buffet services offered by many star hotels have already been suspended.Responding to the situation, Andhra Pradesh Star Hotels Association (ASHA) president R V Swamy said gas distributors are expressing their reluctance to supply commercial cylinders. "Not a single cylinder was available for hotels on Thursday. Hotel owners are under severe pressure. Buying gas cylinders at higher prices in bulk will only increase losses," he explained.Industry representatives said hotel associations across the country have approached the Union govt seeking an urgent action plan to address the crisis. They expressed hope that clarity on gas supply and distribution will emerge soon, allowing hotels to reopen and restore normalcy in the city's food scene.