Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], March 10 : Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Tuesday accused the central government of failing to respond adequately to commercial LPG cylinder shortages, saying the situation could severely affect hotels, hospitals and other establishments.
He also added that the shortage could force restaurants and hotels across the country to shut operations due to a lack of cooking gas, warning that it may also lead to a sharp rise in prices.
Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, Shivakumar said, "Today, the entire country is boiling. All hotels want to close because they don't have gas. All prices will shoot up. Everyone has to look at alternatives like firewood, electric stoves, or kerosene stoves."
The Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister criticised the central government for a lack of response to the issue and called for a broader discussion on the matter.
"The central government is not reacting to it. Foreign policy is going from bad to worse. The central government should debate this, come out with a stand, and involve all parliament members to give their opinions," he said.
Shivakumar also accused the central government of failing to take timely precautionary measures despite warning signs over the past two weeks. "We condemn the inaction of the central government. They should have taken precautionary measures over the last 15 days. But nothing has been done," he said.
He added that state authorities had recently been in touch with the Centre to address the issue, but claimed that no concrete measures had been implemented so far. "Yesterday, they spoke to the Chief Secretary to ensure some of them would be addressed, but no facilities have been provided yet," Shivakumar said.
"In the future, the government needs to come up with a strategy to provide solutions for households and businesses, including industries," he added.
He said hotel associations in the state had already decided to suspend operations at their restaurants due to the shortage of commercial LPG cylinders. "In Karnataka, all our hotel associations have decided to stop their restaurants. It's a big setback for the entire hotel industry, and even hospitals are facing difficulties," he said.
The remarks come amid reports of a shortage of commercial LPG cylinders in several areas amid the West Asia crisis and raised concerns among restaurant owners, hotel operators and other businesses that rely heavily on gas supplies for daily operations.
As the West Asia Conflict continues to put pressure on fuel supplies, the Union Government has invoked the Essential Commodities Act (EC Act ) to ensure an uninterrupted supply of domestic cooking gas, directing refineries and petrochemical units to maximise production of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and divert key hydrocarbon streams to the LPG pool.
Meanwhile, the government has taken several steps to ramp up the supply of domestic cooking gas in view of the conflict in West Asia and oil marketing companies will also talk to the various restaurant associations to understand their problems of LPG supply, sources said on Tuesday.
A three-member committee comprising Executive Directors of IOC, HPCL and BPCL has been formed by the government to listen to their grievances, the government sources said.
The sources said that the genuine requirement of restaurant associations' for commercial LPG will be met, and this committee will also re-prioritise the supply as per the requirements.
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