LPG shortage: Himachal hotel industry badly hit

Shimla: Hit hard by the shortage of commercial LPG cylinders in the wake of the Middle East war, hoteliers and restaurant owners have switched over to the use of alternative fuels to cope with the weekend tourist rush at Shimla and other hill destinations, ahead of the summer tourist season.

Leading Shimla hoteliers confirmed this afternoon that the state government has allowed the hotel industry to use electric appliances like induction plates and burners as an emergency means to run their businesses.

The petroleum companies, though, maintain that there is no shortage of domestic LPG in Himachal Pradesh, and daily monitoring data is being supplied to the government, but commercial LPG supply is affected.

Sanjay Thakur, a leading hotelier who owns Hotel Combermere and Maria, had to purchase high-voltage induction plates from Delhi for use in the hotels. Even the induction plates have run out of stock or are being sold at exorbitant rates.

“Nevertheless, we have been in operation since the guests had already booked their rooms, and a few had already checked in. I hope the government will do something before the LPG supply situation worsens,” he said.

The small vendors and Dharba owners on the highways leading to Shimla, Dharamshala, Kullu-Manali, Kasauli, and Dalhousie admit that the commercial supply of LPG is badly disrupted. Use of induction plates is not an option with them.

President of the Shimla Hotel and Tourism Stakeholders Association Mohinder Seth informed that the Pollution Control Board has temporarily allowed hotel and restaurant owners to use alternate fuel. The board has also permitted the use of kerosene, coal, and diesel bhattis,” he said.