Small-time eateries bear brunt of LPG cylinder shortage in Mancherial
Small eateries in Mancherial are struggling due to a shortage of commercial LPG cylinders triggered by the West Asia conflict. With allocations slashed, owners are forced to buy cylinders at inflated black-market rates.
Mancherial: Owners of small-time eateries are bearing the brunt of shortage of commercial LPG cylinders caused by West Asia conflict.
Supply of commercial LPG cylinders has been affected by the conflict involving Iran. The Centre initially slashed allocation of the cylinders by 50 percent, following the conflict. It increased the supply to 70 percent to ease supply shortages recently. However, the cap on the supply of the cylinders has its own financial implications on small-time eateries.
For instance, owners of roadside hotels, tiffin centres, snack stalls and Chinese fast-food outlets are forced to shell out huge amounts to buy commercial LPG cylinders through black market in the district following the scarcity of the commodity. They claim they are buying a cylinder for anywhere between Rs 1,500 and Rs 2,000, as against Rs 1,000 charged in the past.
The owners regretted that purchasing the cylinders was resulting in a financial burden. They said that they stopped selling dishes that consume higher energy and were exploring alternative options for LPG. They disclosed that they were depending on firewood to tackle the crisis for the past few weeks. They stated a major portion shut down businesses as they were registering losses.
Meanwhile, delivery boys are allegedly overcharging the consumers for door delivery of cylinders considering the dearth of LPG supply. They are reportedly collecting somewhere between Rs 100 and Rs 200 to drop cylinders at doorsteps, violating norms. They cite that they were getting nominal cost from LPG agencies for transportation.
Officials said that special drives were being conducted to check diversion of commercial LPG cylinders and overpricing as well. They stated that action would be taken against those who exploit the situation and fleece consumers under the guise of shortage. They added that steps were being taken to ensure sufficient supply.
LPG agencies in Mancherial: 22
Total connections: 2,08,917
Domestic connections: 206,360
Commercial connections: 2,557
Cost of fee for commercial connection: Rs 5,000
