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By:

Quaid Najmi

4 January 2025 at 3:26:24 pm

Commercial LPG 'evaporates' in Maharashtra

Mumbai : The short supply of commercial LPG cylinders turned ‘grim’ on Wednesday as hundreds of small and medium eateries – on whom the ordinary working Mumbaikars depend on for daily meals – shut down or drastically trimmed menus, on Wednesday.   With an estimated 50,000-plus hotels, restaurants and small food joints, the crunch is beginning to be felt severely, said Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Association of India (FHRAI) vice-president and Hotel and Restaurant Association Western...

Commercial LPG 'evaporates' in Maharashtra

Mumbai : The short supply of commercial LPG cylinders turned ‘grim’ on Wednesday as hundreds of small and medium eateries – on whom the ordinary working Mumbaikars depend on for daily meals – shut down or drastically trimmed menus, on Wednesday.   With an estimated 50,000-plus hotels, restaurants and small food joints, the crunch is beginning to be felt severely, said Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Association of India (FHRAI) vice-president and Hotel and Restaurant Association Western India (HRAWI) spokesperson Pradeep Shetty.   “We are in continuous touch with the concerned authorities, but the situation is very gloomy. There is no response from the Centre or the Ministry of Petroleum on when the situation will ease. We fear that more than 50 pc of all eateries in Mumbai will soon down the shutters. The same will apply to the rest of the state and many other parts of India,” Shetty told  ‘ The Perfect Voice’ .   The shortage of commercial LPG has badly affected multiple sectors, including the hospitality and food industries, mass private or commercial kitchens and even the laundry businesses, industry players said.   At their wits' ends, many restaurateurs resorted to the reliable old iron ‘chulhas’ (stoves) fired by either coal or wood - the prices of which have also shot up and result in pollution - besides delaying the cooking.   Anticipating a larger crisis, even domestic LPG consumers besieged retail dealers in Mumbai, Pune, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Ratnagiri, Kolhapur, Akola, Nagpur to book their second cylinder, with snaky queues in many cities. The stark reality of the 12-days old Gulf war with the disturbed supplies has hit the people and industries in the food supply chains that feed crores daily.   “The ordinary folks leave home in the morning after breakfast, then they rely on the others in the food chain for their lunch or dinner. Many street retailers have also shut down temporarily,” said Shetty.   Dry Snacks A quick survey of some suburban ‘khau gullies’ today revealed that the available items were mostly cold sandwiches, fruit or vegetable salads, cold desserts or ice-creams, cold beverages and packed snacks. Few offered the regular ‘piping hot’ foods that need elaborate cooking, or charging higher than normal menu rates, and even the app-based food delivery system was impacted.   Many people were seen gloomily munching on colorful packets of dry snacks like chips, chivda, sev, gathiya, samosas, etc. for lunch, the usually cheerful ‘chai ki dukaans’ suddenly disappeared from their corners, though soft drinks and tetrapaks were available.   Delay, Scarcity  Maharashtra LPG Dealers Association President Deepak Singh yesterday conceded to “some delays due to supply shortages” of commercial cylinders, but assured that there is no scarcity of domestic cylinders.   “We are adhering to the Centre’s guidelines for a 25 days booking period between 2 cylinders (domestic). The issue is with commercial cylinders but even those are available though less in numbers,” said Singh, adding that guidelines to prioritise educational institutions, hospitals, and defence, are being followed, but others are also getting their supplies.   Despite the assurances, Shetty said that the current status is extremely serious since the past week and the intermittent disruptions have escalated into a near-total halt in supplies in many regions since Monday.   Adding to the dismal picture is the likelihood of local hoteliers associations in different cities like Pune, Palghar, Nagpur, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, and more resorting to tough measures from Thursday, including temporary shutdown of their outlets, which have run out of gas stocks.

Drugs, Demolitions and Development Dilemmas

Updated: Nov 18, 2024

Nashik

In the countdown to the November 20 Assembly polls, Nashik, a city once epitomizing tranquillity and spirituality, its revered religious ties to the Ramayana, is now embroiled in a contentious election season. Known as the ‘cultural heart’ of North Maharashtra, the Assembly segments in Nashik are caught up in controversial flashpoints, namely a surging drug menace, a bitter political feud between two former allies, and a high-profile demolition.


The drug problem first cast a shadow over Nashik last year, when Mumbai Police uncovered a massive operation led by Lalit Patil, a local businessman, involving mephedrone worth over Rs 300 crore. This discovery - which followed a long trail across vital Maharashtra cities including Pune - has since triggered a wave of concern, particularly in the Nashik Central Assembly seat, where rising drug abuse among youth and even children has become an alarming reality.


BJP MLA Devyani Pharande, seeking re-election as the ruling Mahayuti’s candidate, has positioned herself as an advocate for curbing the menace, while her rival, Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate Vasant Gite, has accused her of complicity, alleging that she used her political clout to shield drug peddlers.


While Pharande vehemently denies these allegations, the drug issue has resonated deeply with voters. This already charged atmosphere took another twist with the demolition of Gite’s office, which was razed by authorities soon after the Shiv Sena (UBT) took a slim lead in the Lok Sabha polls earlier this year.


Gite, once the mainstay of Raj Thackeray’s MNS in Nashik, claims the demolition was orchestrated by Pharande and the BJP, accusing her of using her political power to target him. In return, Pharande has hit back at Gite for his alleged involvement in illegal alcohol sales from his office. The escalating tensions between the two have made the contest here not just about governance, but about personal rivalries and vendettas.


Gite, who once served as Mayor under Shiv Sena, has significant support within the minority community, having previously won elections unopposed from a Muslim-majority ward. Pharande, on the other hand, relies on the organizational strength of the BJP and her connections to the electorate through her tenure as Deputy Mayor of the Nashik Municipal Corporation.


The underlying issues of urban development and infrastructure remain a key concern. In the Nashik West Assembly segment, home to two major industrial estates, the lack of progress on infrastructure, particularly roads and drainage, has stunted economic growth. Despite promises from both the state and central BJP governments to develop the region, industries are struggling to survive.


The constituency is shaping up to be a tight race between the incumbent BJP MLA Seema Hiray, her challenger Dinkar Patil from MNS and the Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Sudhakar Badgujar, who is the MVA candidate.


Hiray is facing significant criticism for her failure to address these infrastructural challenges, despite having served two terms in office.


In this context, the MNS led by Raj Thackeray, is attempting to regain Nashik with its manifesto proposing its ‘Nashik model of development’ as the party once held the trump card in the Nashik Municipal Corporation.


With promises ranging from decentralization of industries to the creation of affordable housing and new recreational spaces, the MNS aims to present a fresh alternative to the existing political leadership.


As the countdown to Election Day accelerates, the looming question for voters is whether any candidate can rise above the noise of personal vendettas and factionalism to address the real challenges facing this once-peaceful city.

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