Guwahati: The fear of city-based restaurant owners has come true, as the shortage of commercial LPG cylinders has forced them back to traditional firewood to keep their kitchens running.With supplies turning erratic, restaurants dependent on LPG have shifted to firewood stoves, sparking a sharp rise in demand across the city. Suppliers note that while firewood was earlier used mainly for funeral pyres, demand from hotels and restaurants has surged in the past week.Sailen Baishya, a wholesale firewood supplier, said, “Orders from hotels and restaurants have increased in the past week. Prices are kept affordable, ranging between Rs 1,200 and Rs 1,500 per quintal depending on size. Supplies are arriving daily from Kamrup district and even from states like Meghalaya.”Restaurant owners say dwindling LPG stocks have disrupted daily operations. Firewood, though available, requires constant monitoring and is unsuitable for dishes needing controlled heat. Atul Lahkar, who runs a popular franchise, said, “Our commercial cylinders are exhausted. We now use firewood only in the morning and night for items like duck. Induction cookers consume too much electricity, and frequent power cuts remain a challenge.”Diganta Bordoloi, operations manager of a high-end hotel, added, “We have curtailed our menu. Chinese and continental dishes cannot be prepared on firewood, so we are serving only items that can be cooked this way. Several dishes have been removed from online delivery platforms.”Smaller restaurants, once reliant on domestic LPG cylinders, say they have stopped using them due to delays in agency bookings and inflated market prices. Some have revived diesel stoves to cope.Amid the crisis, the All Assam Restaurant Association (AARA) urged authorities to allocate a separate LPG stock for the hospitality sector. An Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) official told TOI, “In the last two to three days, refilling of about 20% of commercial LPG stock has resumed. Priority is being given to essential services like hospitals and food supply units. Hotels and restaurants will receive allocations only if sufficient stock remains.”
