Pune: Representatives of National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI), Pune chapter, recently met district collector Jitendra Dudi to address the shortage of commercial LPG cylinders. This comes even after a recent govt order permitted partial allocation to sectors such as hotels and restaurants.The meeting followed a state govt communication issued in line with directions from the Union ministry of petroleum and natural gas regarding the distribution of commercial LPG amid current supply constraints.The order allows an additional allocation of up to 20% for commercial users, including hotels, restaurants, industrial canteens, food processing units and community kitchens, depending on availability and priorities set by the state.Restaurant owners, however, stated that this allocation has not yet reached them, as the administration is currently prioritising essential services due to the limited supply.Saili Jahagirdar, head of the NRAI Pune chapter, said the collector informed them that the administration is still determining how to implement the 20% allocation.“They told us that while the Centre has permitted partial allocation, the state must decide the order of priority. At present, hospitals, hostels and large-scale industrial canteens are being treated as essential services. Due to low supply and restricted imports, authorities said they cannot extend the allocation to restaurants unless the situation improves,” she said.Jahagirdar said restaurant owners pointed out that hotels and eateries are included in the list of eligible commercial users, yet they have not received any supply. “We are not receiving even the 20% allocation. In fact, we are currently getting none. They also said there are instances of black marketing which the administration is trying to control, because that creates unfairness in the system,” Jahagirdar said.According to the order, oil marketing companies have been directed to verify the requirements of commercial users and maintain records of LPG usage across businesses.During the meeting, restaurant representatives also raised concerns about delays in obtaining permissions for switching to alternative fuels such as piped gas.“We requested the introduction of a single-window system for clearances and no-objection certificates (NOCs), as approvals from multiple departments are time-consuming. Additionally, we suggested having a single official channel for updates to reduce confusion caused by information circulating on social media,” she said.
