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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.

Virat Kohli’s 18-Year IPL Chase: Will This Be the One?

For Kohli, every year feels like “this is the year”—until it isn’t.

For 18 years, Virat Kohli has been the face, heart, and sometimes the single reason Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) fans still have hope. He wears the number 18, he’s played 18 seasons, and now, in 2025, the big question remains—will this be the year his jersey number finally translates into an IPL trophy? Or will it be another year of Ee Saala Cup Nahi?


Let’s be clear: Kohli is not the problem. The man has done everything humanly possible. He’s won the Orange Cap (2016), played ridiculous knocks that made opposition bowlers question their career choices, and has been the highest scorer in IPL history. Yet, RCB’s trophy cabinet is emptier than a Bangalore pub at 11:30 PM.


The Great RCB Tragedy

RCB has reached the finals three times—in 2009, 2011, and 2016—and each time, they found a way to self-destruct spectacularly.

• 2009: They made it to the final, only to lose to Deccan Chargers, a team that no longer exists.

• 2011: Chennai Super Kings (CSK) crushed their dreams because that’s what MS Dhoni does for a living.

• 2016: This one hurt the most. Kohli was in God-mode, scoring 973 runs in a single season, yet RCB still managed to lose to Sunrisers Hyderabad. Imagine scoring almost 1,000 runs in a season and still not lifting the trophy—it’s like scoring 99% in exams and still not getting a college seat.


The Curse of RCB

Every year, the franchise assembles a squad that looks like it could take over world cricket. Every year, something inexplicably goes wrong. Either the bowling lineup leaks runs like a broken pipeline, or their batting collapses at the worst possible time. Some believe it’s bad luck, while others think it’s just RCB being RCB.


And then there’s the legendary Kohli-AB de Villiers partnership, which gave us some of the most unforgettable IPL moments—except the one where they actually won the title.


2025: The Year of 18?

With Kohli’s 18-year IPL journey coming full circle, will fate finally hand him the trophy? Or will he have to settle for another season of “Maybe next year”?


If cricket had a scriptwriter, they’d know it’s time for a happy ending. The man has carried RCB on his back for nearly two decades. He’s played alongside legends, survived countless memes, and given his fans heartbreak after heartbreak. If number 18 doesn’t bring him luck this time, we might need to check if RCB is actually cursed.


Either way, Kohli will keep playing his heart out. Because if there’s one thing that’s guaranteed—apart from RCB’s unpredictability—it’s that Virat Kohli will give it everything he has. Whether the IPL trophy finally lands in his hands or remains a distant dream, one thing is for sure: RCB fans are in for another rollercoaster ride.


(The author is a journalist based in Mumbai. Views personal.)

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