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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.

The Significant Royal

The MVA faced probably the biggest embarrassment in Kolhapur when the official candidate of the opposition alliance Madhurima Raje withdrew her nomination from the assembly election and the grand alliance that is confident of coming to power in the state had to support an independent candidate in the constituency. However, the developments that followed it have placed a question mark over the sitting Congress MP – Chhatrapati Shahu Raje – as to whether he is merely a pawn for his political party even though he is being revered among the people as the King.


Shahu Maharaj, also known as Shahu II of Kolhapur, is current Member of Parliament (MP) representing the Kolhapur constituency. Born on January 7, 1948, he is a descendant of the illustrious Maratha warrior king, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, and the great-grandson of the great social reformer Shahu I of Kolhapur.


Shahu Maharaj’s early education was at the prestigious Bishop Cotton School in Bangalore, followed by higher studies at Indore Christian College, where he graduated in 1967 with a degree in History, Economics, and English Literature. His academic background laid a strong foundation for his future endeavors in public service and leadership.


In 1962, Shahu Maharaj was ceremonially crowned as the Maharaja of Kolhapur, a title he holds with great respect and responsibility. Despite the abolition of royal titles and privy purses by the Indian government, he continues to be a revered figure in the Maratha community and beyond.


He is affiliated with the Indian National Congress (INC) and has been actively involved in various political initiatives. His first significant foray into politics was in 1998, although it was not until 2024 that he successfully won the Lok Sabha seat from Kolhapur. His victory was a significant milestone, as it marked the return of a Congress MP to Kolhapur after 25 years.


His personal life is equally distinguished. He is married to Yadnaseniraje, and the couple has two sons, Sambhaji Raje and Maloji Raje, both of whom are also involved in public service. His family continues to uphold the values and traditions of their royal lineage while contributing to the welfare of society.


However, when it came to deciding the candidate for the assembly, it appears as if other local leaders of the Congress and Mahayuti undermined Shahu Maharaj. This left the king very disturbed and even threatened to resign as the party MP. The open outburst of political leaders in favour of and against Shahu Maharaj has exposed the claims of the Congress that it offered him the post of MP just to honour the royal family.


However, this is not the first time that the royal family has been insulted like this due to its involvement in the politics.

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