A shortage of commercial Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) cylinders has begun affecting hotels, restaurants, small eateries, boarding schools, and colleges across several towns in Uttarakhand, raising concerns ahead of the tourist and wedding season amid the ongoing West Asia conflict, which has disrupted liquefied natural gas shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.
In Mussoorie, several hotels are already facing a crisis due to the limited availability of commercial LPG cylinders. Mussoorie Hotel Association president Sanjay Agarwal said they submitted a memorandum through the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM)’s office to the chief secretary, chief minister, and cabinet minister Ganesh Joshi, highlighting the disruption.
“The ongoing geopolitical instability in the Middle East has drastically hampered the supply of gas to the region, leaving hoteliers and restaurant owners struggling to serve visiting guests,” Agarwal said, adding that members are being encouraged to explore temporary alternatives to maintain services.
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Many hotels have stopped serving food items that require higher LPG consumption and may have to shut their kitchens if the situation persists, association secretary Ajay Bhargava said, adding that families who had booked hotels for weddings are also facing difficulties.
Nearly 50% of India’s oil imports pass through the Strait of Hormuz, the crucial waterway that has effectively been shut by Iran following the start of its conflict with Israel and the US. Fuel and gas prices have surged, heightening worries in India, which depends on imports to meet around 85% of its energy needs.
Besides hotels, boarding schools are also affected due to the shortage of commercial LPG cylinders. The administrator of Mussoorie’s Guru Nanak Fifth Centenary Day Boarding School, Sunil Bakshi, said the institution, which serves food to more than 250 students, is struggling to maintain kitchen operations.
Domestic consumers are also facing difficulties. Rajendra Semwal, a resident of Camel’s Back Road in Mussoorie, said the missed-call booking system for LPG cylinders was not functioning, forcing households to use charcoal stoves and induction cooktops.
Meanwhile, Mussoorie Traders’ Association president Rajat Agarwal said the online booking server for domestic LPG cylinders was not working and cylinders were being issued offline.
Following directions from Dehradun district magistrate Savin Bansal, the district administration has launched enforcement drives against the illegal commercial use of domestic LPG cylinders. Officials said they have seized 14 domestic cylinders being used at commercial establishments so far.
The crisis has also affected Nainital, where restaurant owners in the Mallital area said their stock of commercial cylinders is nearly exhausted. Several eateries have reduced menu options to only tea, Maggi, and light snacks.
Deepa, who runs a small tea stall in Mallital, said her stall has remained shut after her cylinder ran empty, affecting her family’s only source of income.
Concerns are also growing in Haldwani ahead of the wedding season from April 20 to May 8. Banquet Hall Association president Dheeraj Pandey said more than 100 banquet halls have already been booked, and a shortage of cylinders could create serious challenges in preparing food for large gatherings.
In Ramnagar, Jim Corbett Resorts GM Association president Rajiv Kumar Shah said the disruption has created a crisis-like situation for more than 350 resorts, hotels, and restaurants around the Jim Corbett area. The association has urged the state government to temporarily allow the use of domestic cylinders for commercial establishments until supplies normalise.
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Messes operating within Haldwani’s Government Medical College — one for MBBS students, another for PG students, and a third for nursing students — are also facing the impact of the LPG shortage. Approximately 1,000 students dine at these messes. Meals in these messes are currently being cooked over wood-fired stoves.
Rajesh Tiwari, one of the mess operators, said they have run out of gas cylinders. “While rotis are being prepared using the single remaining cylinder, the rest of the food is being cooked on wood-fired stoves.”
In Champawat and Pithoragarh, however, authorities said there is no need for panic. Champawat SDM Anurag Arya said booking issues occurred due to a server failure related to delivery authentication codes, and manual booking has now started.
“My livelihood depends on selling tea. If commercial cylinders are not available, I may have to shut my shop,” said Mohan Chandra Joshi, a tea seller in Ghantakaran market in Pithoragarh.
Pithoragarh district magistrate Ashish Bhatgai said the district requires around 1,980 domestic and 80 commercial cylinders daily and currently has around two days’ stock of domestic cylinders, with supplies continuing from Haldwani. However, more than 50 hotels and restaurants in the town are facing a crunch of commercial LPG cylinders.
