LPG shortage crisis: North Karnataka hotels and eateries facing imminent scarcity of gas cylingers

Hotels and small eateries in parts of northern Karnataka are suffering from an anxiety about the imminent shortage of LPG gas cylinders.

While most hotels are functioning normally for now, an uncertain future looms. Larger establishments that have piped gas supply are not suffering from any problem yet.

Sudhir Gowda, who runs a large food establishment, said that he was not facing any scarcity as of now, as his kitchens are powered by piped gas. “The piped gas company that supplies us fuel has ensured that they have enough stocks. But we do not know for how long they can sustain. However, smaller hotels and roadside vendors who use either commercial or domestic cylinders, are already facing scarcities,” he said.

Ramesh Shetty, who runs a tea shop in front of a college, uses commercial cylinders. He said the LPG company officials had told them to prepare for a scarcity in the coming weeks. “We are feeling anxious about this uncertainty. What will we do if the fuel dries up? Where will we go? How can we pay our employees?” he said.

Hari Daman Singh, who runs a road side eatery on Khanapur road, said he would be forced to close his shop in the next 3-4 days, once his cylinders were empty. He has three stoves, one powered by commercial cylinder and two by domestic cylinders. “I think I will go home to Lucknow for a week or two. I do not have any employees. I work here with my wife. We will both go and come back later,” he said.

Sunita Patil, a homemaker from Mahantesh Nagar, said that her attempts at booking domestic cylinders have not been successful as the 24 hour helpline was not accepting bookings.

Akshay Kulkarni, Chapter Head of National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI), North Karnataka, who runs his own eatery, said restaurants may soon face challenges due to uncertain fuel supply. This is because Oil Marketing Companies have urged all distribution agencies to prioritise domestic users over commercial users. He said NRAI had urged the Union government to help them tide over the crisis. The government has responded by constituting a committee to look into the issue,” he said.

“The order circulated on March 5, 2026, instructs OMCs to prioritise domestic LPG distribution as geopolitical tensions in West Asia have affected global LPG movement through the Strait of Hormuz. I think the situation may return to normalcy after 1-2 weeks,” said a gas agency manager who operates in north western Karnataka.