Bengaluru, March 18 (NationPress) In a recent session of the Legislative Council, Karnataka's Congress MLC, Ivan D'Souza, expressed serious concerns regarding the ongoing shortage of commercial LPG cylinders. He noted that this crisis has resulted in the closure of numerous hotels, severely impacting food availability in various regions.

D’Souza pointed out that even the Legislators’ House is affected, where breakfast options such as idlis, dosas, and ambode are no longer available.

"If legislators are unable to access food at the Legislators’ House, what about the ordinary citizens?" he questioned, emphasizing the gravity of the situation.

According to D’Souza, nearly 50% of hotels statewide have reportedly shut down due to the LPG crisis, leaving many residents without breakfast options.

He also noted that even government-operated Indira Canteens, which offer food at subsidized rates, are struggling to serve breakfast due to the LPG shortage.

“Many of these canteens have also closed down. The government should convene a meeting with hotel owners and stakeholders to understand the current situation on the ground,” he urged.

In response to these concerns, Food and Civil Supplies Minister K.H. Muniyappa assured that the government is aware of the situation and is working to manage the limited supply of commercial LPG cylinders.

Addressing D’Souza’s comments about the Legislators’ House, he mentioned that the government intends to supply commercial cylinders to partially address the demand while the Assembly session is ongoing.

"We will provide commercial cylinders to the Legislators’ House to cover about half of their needs during the Assembly proceedings. Due to the ongoing shortage, we will not be able to supply more, but we will make sure at least some of the demand is satisfied,” the minister stated.

Meanwhile, P.C. Rao, Honorary President of the Bengaluru Hotel Owners’ Association, informed the media that other states are receiving a significantly higher supply of commercial LPG cylinders compared to Karnataka.

"In Mumbai, they are supplying commercial gas up to 50% of the requirement. In Tamil Nadu, they are also getting commercial gas. In Uttar Pradesh and Ayodhya, around 60% of the needed cylinders are being provided. No such issues are reported in those regions as we are facing here in Karnataka," he explained.

Rao further stated that if only 1,000 commercial cylinders are allocated each day statewide, hotels would only receive one cylinder monthly.

"In Bengaluru city alone, there are approximately 35,000 hotels. Even if 30,000 cylinders are distributed each month, it would not suffice to prepare meals for the hotel staff," he remarked.

Rao indicated that the association plans to address more issues during its upcoming meeting with the government.

"Our query is: Why is our state experiencing such severe challenges with commercial gas when others are not? This needs to be investigated and clarified. We are collecting relevant details," he stated.

He added that while other states face some level of scarcity, their hotels have not halted operations.

"In Chennai, no major hotels have closed. Similarly, in Mumbai, hotels remain operational. They have only adjusted their menus and service hours. The supply there is not entirely depleted," he pointed out.

Rao further noted that governments in other states have not indicated a complete halt to supplying commercial LPG cylinders, unlike the situation in Karnataka.

"We are dispatching representatives to various locations. They have discovered issues with commercial cylinders even in Mumbai. We will assess what facts the government presents before the court on Monday regarding this matter and respond afterward,” he concluded.