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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.

Jarange withdraws; Mahayuti jubilant, MVA cautious

Updated: Nov 7, 2024

Jarange

Mumbai: Living up to his reputation Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange-Patil on Monday took a U-turn that too hours after vowing to take revenge against the BJP-led ruling Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra. On the day the deadline to withdraw nominations for the Maharashtra Assembly elections ended, this was a bigger withdrawal which virtually created ripples into the political circle.


Jarange broke down at a press conference and made an attempt to create the atmosphere. Then he dramatically made the announcement to withdraw from the election fray. Jarange is an unpredictable man. As per his style of functioning he made this announcement. However, this time around the withdrawal, announced Monday morning, could benefit the opposition Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA), which had gained from Maratha discontent during the Lok Sabha elections.


Significantly, why Jarange backed out at such a crucial juncture is the question doing the rounds into the political circle. Jarange has repeatedly stated that there was no pressure on him to withdraw from contesting the election. Sources have claimed that some hidden power swung into action on Sunday late night. As a result, Monday morning barely a few hours after his initial announcement on Sunday night he took a backseat.


The BJP, within no time, hailed the move, describing it as sensible, appropriate and healthy for Jarange’s agitation for Maratha reservation. The sources in the party said that the decision by the activist will be a boost for the Mahayuti, and particularly the BJP. The Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has faced the brunt of Jarange-Patil’s frequent hunger strikes and other pressure tactics over the course of the past 15 months. Threatening every time not to withdraw, bringing worried politicians running to his doorsteps, and giving in every time after government promises and to honour the sentiments of the people. So Jarange's move will prove beneficial to the BJP.


The strong Maratha wave managed to dent the ruling Mahayuti’s equity in the last elections; and the question on every one’s mind was that if the activist sticks to his word this time, how it will dent the numbers for the MVA. Also, will the community continue to vote against the Mahayuti? In the last election, the three-party opposition combined managed to win more than eight seats in Marathwada and western Maharashtra backed by Maratha support.


Pravin Gaikwad, chief of Sambhaji Brigade, one of the oldest Maratha organisations, said, “The present situation in the state is so sticky that fielding Maratha candidates could also lead to the reverse polarisation of the OBCs against Maratha candidates. Most of the Congress-NCP (SP) candidates are Marathas and the community has been getting representation of 150 to 180 MLAs in the assembly. As the fight for the assembly polls is fierce, his candidates could ensure the defeat of some MVA candidates.”


“One thing I would like to make clear is that the Maratha community is against fielding candidates or entering into the election fray. Many prominent people from the Maratha community were strongly against this move of Jarange. The names of no prominent leaders feature in the stack of applications Jarange-Patil has received. That shows the community is not in favour of entering the poll arena. Anyway, since he has announced to withdraw from contesting the election, I can say he took the wise decision", Gaikwad added.


Who will benefit?

Political observers believe Jarange’s decision would impact the election’s dynamics, especially for Mahayuti. Some leaders had hoped that Patil’s candidates would split the traditional Maratha, Dalit, and Muslim support base of the MVA. In response to Patil’s decision, veteran MVA leader Sharad Pawar expressed relief, noting, “There is no connection between MVA and Patil’s withdrawal. I am glad he made this decision, as fielding candidates would have benefited BJP.”


Marathwada’s 46 seats and Western Maharashtra’s 70 seats hold significant sway. Jarange’s influence looms large in these regions, making his support highly sought after. A united front of Maratha, Dalit, and Muslim communities under the MVA banner drove anti-BJP sentiment in the last Lok Sabha elections. This sentiment may resurface amid ongoing anti-Muslim rhetoric from some BJP leaders.

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