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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.

Unified Elections

Updated: Oct 21, 2024

India’s ‘One Nation, One Election’ (ONOE) initiative, championed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, seeks to synchronize elections for both the national Parliament (Lok Sabha) and state legislative assemblies.

The proposal presents a radical departure from the status quo, offering potential gains in efficiency, fiscal prudence, and governance stability. The premise is both straightforward and ambitious: reduce the frequent election cycle that grips India in a near-perpetual state of political campaigning and instead hold simultaneous elections once every five years.

India’s election cycle is a mammoth affair. With 28 states and 8 union territories, each operating on different electoral schedules, national and state elections are an ongoing event, often causing policy paralysis. Governments, perpetually mindful of upcoming elections, are incentivized to prioritize short-term populist policies rather than long-term development goals. By aligning all elections, governance can shift its focus back to uninterrupted policy-making.

However, ONOE faces daunting challenges - the potential erosion of federalism, logistical difficulties and marginalization of regional voices. The proposal could upend the delicate balance between central and state governments. Conducting simultaneous elections in India is a massive logistical challenge, given the country’s 900 million eligible voters and the need to deploy millions of polling officials and security personnel.

Organizing both national and state elections require more resources and precise coordination. The Election Commission of India (ECI) would face immense pressure to ensure free, fair, and smooth elections, and unlike staggered polls, simultaneous elections complicate managing crises such as political violence, natural disasters or allegations of malpractice.

The ECI spends billions on conducting polls across the country, from voter mobilization to security arrangements. The ONOE framework could radically reduce these expenses. As demonstrated by the Netherlands, where simultaneous elections for the Dutch Parliament and municipal councils streamline costs, such efficiency gains are replicated in both time and money saved. The fewer elections a nation must hold, the less strain on its resources.

However, not every stakeholder will view ONOE favourably. The Indian media, in particular, stands to lose in revenue terms. The staggered nature of India’s elections means that news outlets, especially television and digital media, enjoy a steady flow of advertising revenue from political parties over multiple election cycles. A continuous wave of elections keeps media houses flush with campaign ads, debates, and political analysis shows—making elections a lucrative business.

In sum, ONOE offers India a chance to enhance the efficiency of its democratic process. If implemented with care, this reform could lead to better governance, reduced fiscal waste, and a more engaged electorate.

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