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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.

Humble Governance

Updated: Jan 6, 2025

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has taken a commendable step towards dismantling not just the state’s, but India’s, entrenched culture of VIP entitlement. In a directive issued to district collectors, police commissioners and superintendents, Fadnavis has called for an end to two rituals synonymous with political privilege: the ceremonial police guard of honour and the presentation of bouquets during his visits to districts. The decision, modest though it may appear, signals a shift in leadership priorities - away from symbolic flattery and toward a more grounded, public-centric governance style.


This move has resonated with the public. Social media platforms are abuzz with praise for the Chief Minister’s apparent attempt to chip away at the VIP culture that has long irked India’s citizens. Bouquets and ceremonial guards of honour have often been seen as emblematic of the feudal overtones that still linger in the corridors of Indian politics. By discarding these practices, Fadnavis has signalled a break from pageantry to focus on pragmatism.


While the gesture is laudable, it is merely a starting point. Maharashtra, like many Indian states, is riddled with challenges that demand a Chief Minister’s undivided attention and action. As both the Chief Minister and the Home Minister, Fadnavis is uniquely positioned to enact transformative policies. However, he must now move beyond symbolic measures and tackle the deeper grievances of the common man.


Maharashtra faces issues that range from crumbling urban infrastructure to rural distress. The state’s cities, including Mumbai and Pune, are plagued by traffic congestion, air pollution and inadequate public transport systems. Meanwhile, in rural Maharashtra, farmer suicides due to debt and crop failures remain an alarming trend. Addressing these concerns requires policies that bridge the urban-rural divide and make governance more inclusive.


A key area where Fadnavis could extend his reformist zeal is in improving the responsiveness of public institutions. The state’s bureaucratic machinery often appears detached from the needs of its citizens. Lengthy administrative processes, unresponsive grievance redressal mechanisms, and rampant corruption deter the common man from accessing his rights.


Fadnavis must strive to be a Chief Minister who is accessible and accountable to all segments of society. The decision to forgo bouquets and guard-of-honour rituals demonstrates his understanding of the optics of leadership. However, the true test of his governance will lie in his ability to address systemic inequities and foster a culture of fairness and inclusion. India’s democratic institutions were built on the promise of equality and service to the people. Moves such as Fadnavis’s recent directive can indeed serve as a reminder of these principles. But real change requires not just the dismantling of outdated practices but also the construction of systems that prioritize public welfare over political theatrics. Fadnavis’s intentions, thus far, seem admirable. The next step is to match symbolism with substance, ensuring that his tenure leaves an indelible mark not just on Maharashtra’s political culture but also on the lives of its citizens.

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