LPG shortage forces closure of over 100 Kochi hotels in Kerala

Over a 100 hotels in Kochi city in Kerala have downed shutters as the LPG crisis deepens in the wake of the ongoing West Asia conflict, triggering a cascading effect across multiple sectors.

Even eateries that remain open have pared down menus to avoid a complete shutdown, restricting certain items to specific time slots. Several hotel brands have issued social media advisories urging customers to cooperate. Tawa-based dishes have virtually disappeared, given the high LPG consumption the appliance entails.

“Hotels across the State have not received a single load in the past three days, with the government strictly rationing commercial cylinders to prioritise domestic consumers. In Ernakulam alone, hotels consume around 25,000 to 30,000 cylinders a month,” said T.J. Manoharan, State secretary of the Kerala Hotel and Restaurant Association.

Samridhi@Kochi, a chain of budget eateries run jointly by the Kochi Corporation and Kudumbashree Mission, has switched to firewood stoves after exhausting its last lot of 30-odd cylinders.

Meanwhile, LPG distributors are facing public ire as the gap between booking and delivery of domestic cylinders has widened from two days to nearly a week. “Customers are unable to book refills through IVRS, while distributors cannot log onto the portal to place orders as the software crashes amid country-wide log in attempts in the wake of the crisis and resultant panic. Without digital refill booking details, which are otherwise delivered to mobile phones of customers, delivery staff are finding it tough to deliver cylinders to eligible customers,” said George Mathew, president of the Kerala chapter of the All Kerala Indane Dealers Association.

One dealer, who requested anonymity, said he was even considering seeking “police protection” as agitated customers continue to throng his agency. Petroleum companies continue to claim that there is no shortage though the ground reality appears different. His outlet, which earlier received up to eight loads in six weeks, now gets only three.

Petrol and diesel supplies remain unaffected for now, though oil companies have curtailed credit facilities to dealers, with one company enforcing advance payment system. “There is no panic except what is being fuelled by media reports,” said Tomy Thomas, president of the All Kerala Federation of Petroleum Traders.

The Civil Supplies department has deployed squads across all seven taluk supply office limits in Ernakulam to check hoarding and black marketing. “We have been conducting inspections at hotels and LPG dealerships for the past three days. So far, no malpractice has been detected,” said district supply officer S.R. Smitha.