Bhubaneswar: Concerned over the shortage in supply of commercial gas cylinders, the Hotel & Restaurant Association of Odisha (HRAO) Tuesday sought Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri’s intervention for smooth provisions of LPG to hotels and restaurants.
In its memorandum submitted to Puri, the association said the disruptions in the supply of commercial LPG cylinders are creating serious operational challenges for the hospitality industry.
Stating that the hotels and restaurants are highly dependent on uninterrupted supply of commercial LPG cylinders for their daily kitchen operations, the association said, “The sudden disruption in supply has severely affected food preparation and service in many establishments.”
If the situation continues, it may lead to closure of hotel operations, cancellation of bookings, and severe inconvenience to tourists and visitors, said HRAO chairman JK Mohanty in the memorandum.
He noted that the hospitality industry is a vital component of India’s tourism ecosystem and contributes significantly to employment generation, state revenues, and the overall economic activity linked with tourism.
Any disruption in essential services such as LPG supply directly impacts the ability of hotels and restaurants to provide quality services to domestic and international tourists, Mohanty said.
“This not only affects the reputation of destinations but may also adversely influence the overall tourism experience in the country,” he further said.
“As LPG is a highly inflammable substance, we cannot store it a large quantity. The stock in the hotels and restaurants will last only two to three days. We demand undisrupted supply of the commercial cylinders,” said a HARO member.
The association further mentioned that the present situation, therefore, has wider economic implications for the entire hospitality ecosystem as the hotel and restaurant industry provides livelihood to thousands of employees and supports numerous allied sectors, including food supply chains, transport, and local vendors.
Keeping the above factors in view, the HARO sought the intervention of Puri to restore and ensure an uninterrupted supply of commercial LPG cylinders to hotels and restaurants across the country.
Timely intervention from the Ministry will help prevent operational disruptions and ensure that the tourism and hospitality sector continues to serve visitors smoothly, it said.
Speaking to media persons here, the HARO chairman said, “The sudden stoppage of supply of commercial cylinders will severely affect the hotel and restaurant industry. Tourism will also be affected by such a move.”
About 50,000 persons are working in the hotels and restaurants in Odisha. So, they will also lose their jobs, he said.
“We were aware of the prevailing conflict in West Asia. But, we never thought that we would face such a sudden crisis,” Mohanty said while requesting the government to consider the continuous supply of LPG to the hotels and restaurants.
On March 6, the government invoked, sparingly used emergency powers to direct oil refineries to ramp up LPG production to increase the availability of domestic cooking gas to avoid potential disruptions due to the widening West Asia conflict.
On March 7, the prices of domestic LPG and commercial cylinders were hiked by Rs 60 and Rs 114.5, respectively.
PTI