Shortage of cooking gas cylinders in Tamil Nadu: Tourism and restaurant industries at risk of collapse

Tamil Nadu: While the situation remained under control in all districts of Tamil Nadu, including Chennai and Vellore, on Tuesday due to the ongoing war between Iran and the US and Israel, many tourism-dependent restaurants and hotels are at risk of closing after Wednesday due to a shortage of gas cylinders.

The district-wise ground situation is as follows:

In Villupuram and Kallakurichi districts, bookings for home delivery of cooking gas cylinders have increased since Tuesday morning. The delivery time for those who have already booked has been extended from 21 days to 25 days. Gas cylinder distribution companies stated that they can only deliver gas cylinders to those who have already booked.

Restaurant owners in Trichy, Pudukkottai, Thanjavur, Karur, Perambalur, and Ariyalur districts stated that they only have commercial gas cylinders for the next two days. Trucks carrying commercial gas cylinders have not arrived in these districts for two days.

Due to a shortage of commercial cooking gas cylinders in Tiruvannamalai and Cuddalore, bookings have been halted. Restaurants there may close in the next two days.

Nagapattinam, Tiruvarur, and Mayiladuthurai districts are facing a severe shortage of gas cylinders for commercial use. However, gas company representatives stated that bookings for domestic cylinders are proceeding normally. In Mayiladuthurai, the supply of gas cylinders for commercial use was halted two days ago.

Due to the shortage of commercial gas in Coimbatore, major restaurants have significantly reduced their menus, removing fast food items from their menus. Restaurant opening hours have also been reduced. The situation can only be managed with the stock of cylinders for the next two days. After that, the Coimbatore Restaurant Owners Association has stated that restaurants will have to close. The supply of cooking gas cylinders for commercial use has been suspended since Monday (March 9) in several districts, including Madurai, Ramanathapuram, Dindigul, Theni, Sivaganga, and Virudhunagar. Restaurants, tea shops, and roadside eateries are at risk of closing in these districts. In the tourist and spiritual destination of Rameswaram, 90 percent of restaurants lack the infrastructure to cook with wood, forcing them to close. There is a shortage of commercial gas cylinders in Tirunelveli district, with 90 percent of the more than 1,000 restaurants relying on gas cylinders.

Due to the shortage of cooking gas cylinders for commercial use in Kanyakumari, many restaurants have suspended online booking services. If this situation continues, restaurants in the Kumari district will be forced to close. Shahjahan, president of the District Restaurant Owners Association, said that approximately 35,000 workers could lose their jobs. Tamil Nadu Hotels Association Thoothukudi District Secretary P. Vinayagamoorthy stated that there is currently no shortage of commercial gas cylinders in Thoothukudi district. He added that if a shortage occurs, the jobs of approximately 25,000 people working in tea shops and hotels in the Thoothukudi Corporation area alone would be affected.

Puducherry Hotels Association Secretary Anand Gandhiraj stated that cooking gas cylinder registrations have been disrupted in Puducherry. “Normally, we register for cooking gas cylinders using mobile phones. Now we are unable to do that. Only one or two hotels have wood stoves. Some hotels have switched to cookers and electric stoves,” he said. “If the situation remains the same, we will decide to revise food prices.”