Guwahati: While Assam prepares for polls, the problems faced by the people continue to deepen, as the LPG cylinder shortage has severely impacted small-time food vendors, forcing many to shut down their businesses while others struggle to remain operational amid rising costs.Street food sellers, and small eatery owners — who rely heavily on LPG for daily cooking — are among the worst affected. Several vendors have already shut their shops over the past few days, citing an inability to sustain operations without regular and affordable access to cooking gas.“We were earning less, and spending more on buying cylinders. My last cylinder in the stock just finished last month, and since then I have not been able to purchase any more. I was forced to close down my shop, as I do not have much capital to buy an induction stove,” said Promita Brahma, a food stall owner.Another street food seller, Khitish Kumar, who closed his stall last week, said, “The food business is very shaky. Some days you get customers, and some days everything we prepare goes to waste. On top of that, there is no consistent supply, even when the govt is assuring us that there is sufficient stock.”With LPG supply channels still not meeting the demands, many vendors have turned to the black market to purchase the cylinders. However the inflated prices in the illegal market have added to the financial burden. “We have no option but to buy cylinders at higher rates just to keep our stoves running. But this is not sustainable,” said Devajit Senapati, another street food stall owner.Adding to their woes is what vendors describe as a lack of timely intervention by authorities. Many have expressed disappointment with the govt, stating that no adequate measures have yet been put in place to address the crisis.
