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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.

Towards Future-Ready Urbanscapes

Updated: Oct 22, 2024

Urbanscapes

The term 'NITI' in NITI Aayog stands for the ‘National Institute for Transforming India.’ Through its Growth Hub or G-Hub mission, NITI Aayog has developed comprehensive plans for cities like Mumbai, Surat, Visakhapatnam, and Varanasi. These plans adopt a fresh, innovative approach, inspiring hope for the future of India's rapidly urbanising landscape.


Urbanisation in India has grown rapidly over the past few decades. In 2001, 28.61 crore people lived in cities (27.82% of the total population), and by 2011, this number had risen to 37.71 crore (31.15%). By 2020, it was estimated to reach 48.3 crore (34.9%).

During this period, the count of urban households living in slums increased from 1.01 crore to 1.37 crore. However, urban households living in slums decreased from 23.5% in 2001 to 17% in 2011. Urban poverty also dropped significantly, from 25.7% in 2004-05 to 13.7% in 2011-12. Cities played a vital role in the economy, contributing 60% of India's GDP in 2011.


The demand for urban infrastructure and urban services is continuously increasing, and it is being compounded by other related trends―a large share of the young population, the increasing population numbers of urban poor, and their low-income levels. As per the high-powered expert committee report of 2011, the urban infrastructure investment deficit is estimated at Rs 39.2 lakh crore at 2009–2010 prices for the period 2012–2031. While the government of India is working towards addressing this investment requirement, it is also designing schemes to make Indian cities more liveable. The five flagship centrally sponsored schemes in the urban sector are working towards these objectives.


In a review of the schemes for urban transformation, it came to the fore that the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of several major city regions worldwide appears to match the GDP of entire countries. This reflects urban centres' growing economic prominence and vitality, highlighting their pivotal role in shaping the country's economic development and that the Indian cities hold the potential to propel unparalleled economic growth, which needs to be realised. This led to the initiative focused on developing city regions as Growth Hubs, which plan for leveraging urbanisation for economic growth in line with NITI Aayog's mandate of fostering cooperative federalism.


The study revealed that although Indian cities occupy just 3% of the country's land, they contribute a significant 65% of the GDP. Projections suggest that this urban area is expected to expand to 50% by 2047, up from the current 36%.


A prime example of this economic concentration is the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), which plays a vital role in India's economy. MMR accounts for:

• 4% of the national GDP

• 24% of the country’s income tax collection

• 36% of corporate tax collection

• 25% of India’s industrial output

• 40% of foreign trade

• 70% of maritime trade


In Maharashtra, MMR holds 20% of the population but only 2.8% of the land area. It contributes 31.2% of the state's GDP and 18.1% of its jobs. The region's per capita income is 1.5 times higher than Maharashtra’s and nearly double that of India's national average.


The G-Hub mission aims to take a proactive approach by focusing on economic strategy before land use planning. It will identify job growth drivers, define city resources, support global trends, and assess resource needs. The mission will also boost the business environment, propose new ideas and interventions, and prioritise major projects. Apart from building and boosting economic activity, it also focuses on improving quality of life and inclusivity while promoting sustainability.


NITI Aayog has identified seven key growth drivers, covering 30 projects, eight sector policies, and nine institutional changes to establish the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) as a financial hub. The goal is to attract Rs 10-11 lakh crore in private investment and speed up ongoing projects worth $65 billion. The vision includes transforming Mumbai into a global fintech capital, contributing Rs 1 trillion to India’s GDP. It also meticulously addresses various factors affecting citizens’ lives. This includes developing 3 million affordable housing units by 2030, developing MMR as a global service hub built on seven champion services, creating 3 million affordable homes by 2030, making MMR a global hub for tourism and urban recreation hub and port-proximate manufacturing and logistics hub having world-class urban infrastructure and transport, and becoming an inclusivity and sustainability leader of India with planned urbanisation.


The G-Hub mission by NITI Aayog represents a forward-looking approach to leveraging India's rapid urbanisation for economic growth by transforming urban spaces into thriving economic hubs while promoting sustainability and inclusivity. With ambitious projects, targeted investments, and a clear vision for the future. These growth drivers are expected to shape MMR as a $300 billion economy and play a key role in India's journey towards becoming a $5 trillion economy.

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