Nagpur: It’s not just eateries that are facing the heat of LPG rationing for the commercial user. The cooking gas is consumed by dal mills and steel units, as well as large-packaged food makers and the supply curbs have left the entire sector worried.A source in the management of Haldiram’s Snacks Food Private Ltd said the holding of fresh supplies of cooking gas would not only affect its restaurants, but also the plants where LPG is used on a large scale.Vikram Diwadkar, director at Ajit Bakery, said the company was assured of smooth supply for 5 days, but there’s uncertainty after that. Off late, bakers shifted to LPG from diesel.The steel industry uses LPG for firing its furnaces, and dal mills use it for drying pulses, said sources. As oil marketing companies would only be supplying to households, hospitals, and educational institutions, operations in these businesses are expected to be hit, said sources.In the steel sector, LPG is used for initial firing of furnaces and for cutting metal and fabrication. Though used in small quantities, supply curbs would have a ripple effect on big and small units, said Dipen Agrawal, a steel businessman and president of Chamber of Associations of Maharashtra Industries and Trade (CAMIT).“LPG is a crucial industrial fuel for heating, melting, heat treatment, and galvanising processes. Without supply, steel processing units cannot operate, even leading to closure,” said Agrawal.Manohar Bhojwani, director of Nagpur Dal Mill Cluster, said millers use LPG for drying pulses, which come in raw form. There is inherent moisture in the agricultural produce before it is processed. The dryers are run by LPG, and its stock needs to be replenished every three days. Of course, there are dryers that can run on coal and solar energy too and some mills keep an alternate arrangement, the source said.A source in Western Coalfields Limited said the public sector undertaking runs a subsidised canteen at its headquarters using commercial LPG cylinders. However, as they called up the oil company for replenishment, there was no response from the other side. The canteen has enough cooking gas to last a week, the source said.
