Uttarakhand: LPG shortage hits Rishikesh hotels ahead of Char Dham Yatra

As the Middle East crisis triggered by the IranUSIsrael war enters its 35th day various cities across India continue to grapple with a persistent LPG shortage Rishikesh has not been spared with the city now facing a similar energy crisis ahead of the Char Dham YatraThe hospitality sector in Rishikesh has been the hardest hit hotel owners and roadside dhaba operators are struggling to maintain daily operations in light of the LPG crisis As a result they have shifted to alternative fuels like wood and coal to handle their daily operation which present significant logistical challenges for the eatery outletsVivek Tiwari a local restaurant owner highlighted the severity of the situation noting his business has been forced to resort to alternatives such as wood and coal to sustain their operations He further acknowledged that while there has been a marginal improvement in the supply of commercial LPG it remains far below the levels required to meet daily demandRestaurants in Rishikesh are being forced to use alternatives like wood and coal to sustain daily operations As the Char Dham Yatra is set to begin the government and gas agencies need to be transparent about their supply strategy While there has been a marginal improvement and we are receiving commercial cylinders from agencies the current supply remains well below the requirement needed to sustain daily operations Tiwari told ANIHowever Rishabh another restaurant owner was vocal in his criticism of the ongoing LPG shortage He revealed that despite having a formal commercial connection the supply remains nonexistent as a result he too is forced to rely on coal and traditional furnaces to keep the kitchen running He alleged that gas agencies are unable to meet the demand for commercial LPG supplyThere is a severe problem with the gas supply we simply are not getting it We have had to bring in coal and a furnace just to manage our restaurant Despite holding a commercial connection the gas remains unavailable Even the agencies have raised their hands declaring there is no possibility of a supply We have been dealing with these challenges for 15 to 20 days now said RishabhHe further warned that if the situation persists the upcoming Char Dham Yatra could face problems He added that businesses may be forced to either suspend operations entirely or significantly increase food prices just to keep their business aliveIf the situation remains like this we will either close our restaurants or increase food prices to keep our business alive Even the Char Dham Yatra will be adversely affected warned RishabhMeanwhile at the second meeting of the Informal Group of Ministers IGoM which monitors the evolving situation in West Asia and suggest proactive measures for its minimum impact on India Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said that in view of the uncertain situation the Defence Minister underlined the importance of roundtheclock monitoring of the situation and the need to respond in a calibrated manner to deal with any eventuality He stressed the need to leave no stone unturned to ensure that the people of the country face the minimum effect of the conflictThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever