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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.

Of Nagging Namesakes and Family Showdowns

Updated: Nov 7, 2024

Family Showdowns

As Maharashtra approaches the November 20 Assembly elections, two constituencies in Eastern Vidarbha are standing out for their unusual and convoluted political dramas with more than a touch of the soap opera: They are Katol (in Nagpur district) and Aheri (in Gadchiroli). Here, a mix of personal legacies, familial ties, and a confusion of names have created a strange electoral landscape.


In Katol, the electoral contest is uniquely complicated by the presence of two candidates sharing the name of ‘Anil Deshmukh.’ Salil Deshmukh, the son of former Home Minister and NCP (SP) leader Anil Deshmukh, is making his electoral debut as the opposition MVA candidate. Katol has long been Anil Deshmukh and the undivided NCP’s stronghold in Vidarbha.


However, in a vexing development for Salil, his primary opponent, Anil Shankarrao Deshmukh, is not a relative but a local resident running on behalf of the ruling Ajit Pawar faction of the NCP. This coincidence of names adds an unexpected layer of intrigue to a constituency previously won a number of times by Salil’s father, Deshmukh senior.


Anil Deshmukh, affectionately known as ‘Anilbabu,’ carries substantial name recognition - a factor that could confuse many voters, particularly those loyal to the former minister who is well-liked in the region despite facing allegations of extortion that led to his imprisonment. The complications are exacerbated by the fact that Anil Shankarrao Deshmukh will contest under the NCP’s ‘Clock’ symbol — previously associated with Anilbabu when the NCP was undivided under Sharad Pawar — while Salil will represent the Tutari symbol (a man blowing a trumpet) of the NCP (SP).


The blend of names and symbols may well result in a muddled choice for voters, complicating Salil’s efforts to establish his own identity amid the weight of his father’s legacy.


Adding to the mix in Katol is the candidacy of Charansingh Thakur, a seasoned BJP leader and former president of the Katol Municipal Corporation. His presence ensures that the race is not just a familial squabble but a three-way contest.


Meanwhile, in Aheri, the electoral drama escalates into an even more personal narrative. Incumbent NCP MLA Dharmarao Atram finds himself pitted against his own daughter, Bhagyashree Atram-Halgekar, in a strange contest in a state traditionally known for its uncle-nephew face-offs.


The two are contesting from rival factions of the NCP, with Dharmarao standing for Ajit Pawar’s faction and Bhagyashree representing the Sharad Pawar camp. The stakes are high, not just for their political futures but for the very fabric of their family.


According to some quarters, Bhagyashree ascribes her decision to Sharad Pawar’s role in rescuing her father who was kidnapped by the Naxalites in the early 1990s. Whatever the real reason, Aheri’s electoral dynamic is further complicated by the presence of another family member, Dharmarao’s nephew, Ambrishrao, who is contesting as an independent, transforming this electoral battle into a triangular contest that could further fracture loyalties.


As the elections draw near, Katol and Aheri stand as microcosms of Maharashtra’s political landscape, illustrating the strange blend of the personal and the political that is defining the 2024 Assembly polls.

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