CHENNAI: The ripple effect of the acute shortage of commercial cylinders on Wednesday affected owners of tea shops, small roadside eateries, small-scale tiffin centres, and restaurants across Chennai.
In response, a Nungambakkam restaurant is switching to wood stoves this Thursday. A good number of well-known eateries have reduced their menu options, with some serving only lunch. The crisis also forced a tiffin centre in T Nagar to close, while roadside vendors in Triplicane and Chepauk have now remained shut for two days.
"I run my family on earnings from the roadside shop. Due to the shortage of commercial gas cylinders, I will close the shop for two days. I am flabbergasted, don't know what to do," said Rajesh.
Sapthagiri Tiffin Centre in T Nagar also closed on Wednesday. Co-owner TS Umesh shared his struggle, stating, "We serve over a thousand customers daily and need Rs 1 lakh to cover salaries and operating costs."
Speaking to DT Next, a restaurant owner in Nungambakkam said, "We don't have commercial gas cylinders for Thursday, so we are planning to cook biriyani and tandoor varieties in wood stoves. We have stopped preparing grilled chicken in our restaurant."
The state has 2.42 crore domestic LPG connections and about 4.75 lakh commercial LPG connections, including 27,329 for restaurants, 54,116 for industrial establishments and 15,703 for educational institutions.
T Anandan, president of Chennai Metropolitan Tea Shop Owners' Association, said, "Bajji and bonda varieties have been halted. To meet the financial needs, owners charge a high price for bajji and bonda varieties."
A representative for the Geetham restaurant chain said they had stopped Chettinadu and Chinese varieties, but are continuing dosas and steamed items like idli and idiyappam.
Food and Civil Supplies Minister R Sakkarapani chaired a meeting with representatives of restaurants, industrial establishments and gas supply companies. Representatives of oil companies informed the meeting that stocks of domestic LPG cylinders were sufficient for about 25 days, while supplies of commercial cylinders were currently limited. Restaurant associations urged the government to ensure an uninterrupted supply to eateries and educational institutions.