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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.

Speedboat driver's stunt ended in mid-sea tragedy: survivor

  • PTI
  • Dec 20, 2024
  • 2 min read
Mumbai coast

Mumbai: The driver of the Navy speedboat that collided with a ferry packed with passengers on way to a tourist site off the Mumbai coast was in a "playful mood" and was "showing off", said a survivor who lost his aunt in the crash.


The survivor, Gautam Gupta, on Thursday recounted the moments leading up to the horrific speedboat-ferry collision on Wednesday afternoon that claimed the lives of 14 individuals, including Navy personnel.


The ferry was on its way to Elephanta Island, which has a collection of ancient caves, from the Gateway of India in south Mumbai when it sank off the city coast after the collision.


Gupta, a vegetable vendor from Nalasopara in adjoining Palghar district, was on the ferry 'Neel Kamal' with his aunt and relatives who had travelled to Mumbai to attend his wedding last week.


"I met my aunt after many years. She came for my wedding, and I took her for sightseeing and a ferry ride in the sea. I had no idea it would be the last day of her life," said a distressed Gupta.


Gupta, contesting the Navy's claim of "engine failure" in the speedboat leading to the crash, described the vessel's driver as someone who was "showing off."


He said many passengers, including himself, were busy recording videos of the speedboat as the driver zig-zagged through the waters. "It felt like a display," Gupta said.


As they headed towards Elephanta Island, he said the speedboat approached with 5 to 6 people on board.


"The driver was in a playful mood, zig-zagging through the waters. Suddenly, he turned the speedboat and headed directly towards us. He must have thought he could pass by our ferry narrowly, but his stunt ended in tragedy," Gupta said. Initially, Gupta did not grasp the gravity of the situation.


"One occupant from the speedboat was thrown onto our ferry. We assumed our ferry was safe and that no damage had occurred. But soon, the ferry began to sink," he said.


Four-year-old girl, pregnant woman among three injured

Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Thursday said three persons injured in the boat tragedy off Mumbai coast includes a four-year-old girl and an eight months pregnant woman.


Making a statement in the Lower House of the state legislature, he said the third injured is a Navy personnel and his condition is serious.

"The condition of the four-year-old girl and the pregnant woman is stable," he said.


The driver of the naval speed boat and other concerned have been booked under clause 106 (1) (causing death by negligence), 125 (a), 125 (b) (rash or negligent acts that put human life or personal safety at risk), 282 (whoever navigates any vessel in a manner so rash or negligent as to endanger human life), 324 (3), 324 (5) (mischief causing damage to property) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), he added.


"The rescue operations are still continuing. Out of the 110 passengers, 96 have been rescued," Pawar said.

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