Prayagraj: The disruption in the supply of commercial LPG cylinders following the West Asia conflict for the past three days has heightened concerns for the hotel and restaurant industry in Sangam city as well as cast a shadow over the ongoing wedding season.Restaurants and hotels, who had booked parties, anniversary and birthday events, have expressed concern about limited stock. While some plan to postpone events, others have opted for traditional cooking method using coal stoves. With the peak of wedding season and amid last-minute wedding preparations — shopping, inviting guests and decorating marriage sites and homes — families of brides and grooms are also scrambling to arrange cooking gas cylinders. Many are shuttling between gas agencies and relatives to ensure an uninterrupted fuel supply. With hundreds of weddings scheduled across the Sangam city in March alone, the shortage is likely to dent the menu. A Kalindipuram resident, whose daughter is getting married on Wednesday, said: “Relatives have already arrived and now the caterers are asking us to arrange extra gas cylinders.” President of Prayagraj Hotels & Restaurant Association, Harjindra Singh, said the situation is alarming. “If this continues, the livelihood of many people in the hospitality industry will be affected. I appeal to district authorities and govt to find a quick solution,” he said. Meanwhile, the demand for coal-based stoves has also gone up. Owner of a city-based prominent restaurant said: “Majority of hotels and restaurants maintain a stock for 3 to 5 days, but the real impact will be felt after a week. Owners of marriage pandals advised marriage seekers to temporarily shift back to conventional coal-based chulhas if required.” Hospitality industry across the district fear that they would have to either buy cylinders from the black market or shut restaurants. Meanwhile, consumers on Wednesday continued to complain that LPG booking numbers remained constantly engaged. When they visited the agencies concerned, they were asked to complete KYC formalities, but even after doing so, servers were reportedly non-functional, preventing bookings. The staff of agencies too failed to satisfy the queries of consumers. They said oil agencies sought Delivery Authentication Code (DAC) to streamline distribution and eliminate ghost consumers. The 25-day booking window was introduced to ensure judicious use of LPG and discourage hoarding.
