Middle East crisis: Hospitality industry seeks urgent government action over commercial LPG supply disruption

NEW DELHI: The hotel and restaurant industry raised its concerns over an acute shortage of commercial LPG cylinders after suppliers reportedly withheld deliveries. The association called for an immediate intervention from the Centre, as they cited recent government orders for the disruption.The Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI) and the National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) both reported widespread supply disruptions, saying restaurants and hotels across the country were struggling to access cooking fuel critical to daily operations. In a letter to Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, FHRAI flagged what it described as “widespread disruption at the ground level”, news agency PTI reported.The association alleged that several distributors had suspended supply, referring to an order issued on March 5.The association urged the government to issue a formal clarification confirming that no restrictions apply to the hospitality and food service sectors.FHRAI Secretary General Jaison Chacko appealed for a directive to all oil marketing companies to “ensure the seamless distribution of commercial cylinders” to prevent further impact on the hospitality industry."In light of these challenges, we request the government to issue a formal clarification confirming that no such restrictions apply to the hospitality and food service sectors. We further pray for a clear mandate to be issued to all oil marketing companies to ensure the seamless distribution of commercial cylinders," FHRAI Secretary General said in the letter.The NRAI echoed similar concerns, adding in a post on X that the situation had begun to “severely impact” restaurants and, by extension, the public’s access to food services.It noted that despite news reports suggesting there was no government ban on the supply of commercial LPG cylinders to restaurants, suppliers on the ground continued to express their inability to provide them."As per news articles, the Government has clarified that there is no ban on supply of commercial LPG cylinders for the restaurant industry. However, the ground situation is different, with suppliers expressing inability to supply the same," the post said.“This is severely impacting the restaurant industry and, in turn, the supply of food as an essential service for citizens,” the NRAI urged the government for urgent clarification and intervention.