<p>Mumbai&rsquo;s <strong><a href="https://www.mid-day.com/amp/news/india-news/article/lpg-shortage-hits-several-indian-cities-hotels-warn-of-shutdowns-23620160" rel="nofollow">hospitality sector</a></strong> has flagged growing concerns over access to commercial LPG cylinders, with the Indian Hotel &amp; Restaurant Association (AHAR) warning the shortage has already forced some establishments to temporarily shut operations.</p>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/mar/LPG-cylinders-a_e.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p>
<h2>&lsquo;Protecting household supply&rsquo;</h2>
<p>Atul R Shah, Executive VP, All India LPG Distributors Federation; Executive President All India Bharatgas Distributors Association</p>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/mar/Atul-Shah_e.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p>
<p>&ldquo;India has about three months of LPG supply earmarked for households. If diverted for commercial use, that could be exhausted in 15 days. The priority is safeguarding supply for 1.4 billion people.&rdquo; A review team from Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum, and Hindustan Petroleum is evaluating urgent requests from hospitals and other critical services.</p>
<h2>Restaurants flag operational risks</h2>
<p>Suraj Shetty Restaurateur, Mahesh Lunch Home, Banana Leaf</p>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/mar/Suraj-Shetty_e.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p>
<p>Restaurateurs say the shortage could affect daily kitchen operations. &ldquo;Restaurants depend on a consistent and reliable supply of commercial cylinders. The shortage is creating operational challenges across the hospitality sector.&rdquo; <strong><a href="https://www.mid-day.com/mumbai/mumbai-news/article/us-israel-attack-iran-lpg-shortage-hits-mumbai-hotels-commercial-supply-disrupted-amid-middle-east-crisis-23620162?button=next" rel="nofollow">AHAR</a></strong> has also alleged that roadside vendors are using domestic LPG cylinders meant strictly for households, creating what it calls an uneven playing field.</p>
<h2>Restaurants preparing for disruption</h2>
<p>Ashesh Sajnani, founder of Le Cafe and Via Bombay</p>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/mar/Ashesh-Sajnani_e.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p>
<p>Says his Goa hotel, The Passport Hotel, has already installed induction units as a precaution.<br />Some kitchens have already begun contingency measures:<br />&gt;&gt; Removing fuel-intensive dishes<br />&gt;&gt; Cutting slow-cooked menu items<br />&gt;&gt; Switching to induction cooktops<br />&gt;&gt; Considering coal tandoors again</p>
<h2>No gas turbulence</h2>
<p>With reports of LPG shortages emerging from cities such as Mumbai, Bengaluru and Chennai, the government on Tuesday invoked the Essential Commodities Act, 1955, to ensure a stable and uninterrupted supply of cooking gas. Airline food services in India also fall under the ambit of the Act, given their dependence on LPG and other regulated supplies for large-scale meal production. The sector is led by major players such as Taj SATS Air Catering Limited, Ambassador&rsquo;s Sky Chef, Sky-gourmet Catering Private Limited and Oberoi Flight Services, and industry sources indicate that operations are expected to remain unaffected by the&nbsp;<br />current shortage.</p>
<h2>Panic or real shortage?</h2>
<p>Abhayraj Singh Kohli Partner, Pritam da Dhaba, The Roll Company; Founder, Grandmama&rsquo;s Cafe, MRP, TORII, and Nakhra</p>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/mar/Abhayraj-Kohli_e.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p>
<p>Some industry players say the fears may be driven partly by speculation. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not just a supply crunch &mdash; it&rsquo;s panic engineered by black marketers trying to cash in. This <strong><a href="https://www.timesnownews.com/education/lpg-shortage-in-mumbai-affects-mid-day-meals-for-7-5-lakh-school-students-west-asia-conflict-middle-east-crisis-article-153805627" rel="nofollow">LPG crisis</a></strong> has exposed how fragile our fossil-fuel dependence really is. The restaurant industry in Mumbai must now seriously explore electric induction and other clean alternatives before the next shock hits,&rdquo; Kohli said.</p>
<h2>Unauthorised booking in Bengaluru</h2>
<p>Madhu Menon, Amid the LPG shortage, Bengaluru resident alleged unauthorised bookings on his Indane gas account prevented him from ordering a cylinder.&nbsp;</p>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/mar/Madhu-Menon_e.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p>
<p>&ldquo;When I tried booking, it showed a delivery had already been made on February 26,&rdquo; Menon told mid-day. After he raised the issue on X, the company contacted him and delivered a cylinder, with Menon claiming &ldquo;multiple unknown phone numbers were linked to my account&rdquo; and that bookings had been made &ldquo;directly through delivery drivers without my knowledge.&rdquo; In his update tweet, Menon said, &ldquo;The agency just delivered a gas cylinder to my door, and the delivery guy told me sir wanted to say it was &lsquo;by mistake&rsquo; and it &lsquo;won&rsquo;t happen again&rsquo;. Also wanted me to give some letter to them and delete my tweet. I said no to both.&rdquo;</p>
<h2>LPG pressure on restaurants</h2>
<p><strong>Key numbers &nbsp; &nbsp;What they means</strong><br />Rs 1835 &nbsp; &nbsp;Cost of one commercial LPG cylinder<br />21 days &nbsp; &nbsp;Typical refill cycle for restaurants<br />25 days &nbsp; &nbsp;New official minimum waiting period&nbsp;<br />3 months &nbsp; &nbsp;Domestic LPG buffer stock&nbsp;<br />Restaurants say the extended refill timeline is creating operational stress for kitchens that rely on a steady supply of commercial cylinders for daily cooking.</p>
<h2>Why the supply is tightening</h2>
<p>The government has revised natural gas allocation priorities amid the escalating <strong><a href="https://www.mid-day.com/mumbai/mumbai-news/article/commercial-lpg-supply-to-hotels-may-be-reduced-as-centre-prioritises-households-chhagan-bhujbal-23620206?schoolsurvey-2024-www.nhpsthane.com-breakingnews" rel="nofollow">West Asia conflict.</a></strong><br />Priority sectors for gas supply<br />&gt;&gt; Domestic LPG<br />&gt;&gt; CNG for vehicles<br />&gt;&gt; Piped cooking gas for households<br />Gas allocation to sectors such as petrochemicals has been reduced to protect essential consumption.</p>
<p><strong>33 crore</strong><br />Approx no of active LPG consumers in India</p>
<p><strong><em>Inputs by Madhulika Ram Kavattur</em></strong></p>

Mumbai’s hospitality sector says commercial LPG shortages are beginning to choke restaurant kitchens, with longer refill wait times disrupting cooking operation

Mumbai: Hospitality sector raises alarm over LPG supply crunch

Mumbai Diary: Wednesday Dossier

Mumbai’s hospitality sector says commercial LPG shortages are beginning to choke restaurant kitchens, with longer refill wait times disrupting daily cooking operations. Industry body AHAR warns some establishments have already shut temporarily as restaurants struggle to secure timely cylinder supplies

Will the LPG shortage shut Mumbai restaurant kitchens?

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