Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) [India], March 11 (ANI): Visakhapatnam Hotel Merchant Association has requested the Centre to provide support and communication over the shortage of commercial LPG cylinders amid the ongoing West Asia conflict.

Visakhapatnam Hotel Merchant Association Vice President, Kishore Yadav, told ANI on Tuesday that hotels in the city require 65,000-70,000 cylinders monthly.

Expressing concern over the shutdown of hotels, Yadav said, 'Burning issue in India due to the ongoing Iran-Israel conflict. We are all facing gas-related issues. If this goes on for a few more days, we in Visakhapatnam are also going to shut down like Bengaluru. We need 65,000-70,000 cylinders monthly.'

Association member Mohammed Rafi urged the government to provide clear communication on the LPG stock available at hotels in Visakhapatnam.

'Hotels in big cities, including Bengaluru and Chennai, are shutting down and will eventually affect us also. We request that the Indian government supply the gas we need; otherwise, tourists here will face a food crisis. We want the Centre to give a letter stating whether there is gas or not. The government should support us. We request the government to look for other alternatives,' Rafi said.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Coimbatore District Hoteliers' Association (CDHA) also urged the government to take immediate steps to ensure an uninterrupted fuel supply to the hospitality sector.

Balachandar Raju, Secretary of the Coimbatore District Hoteliers' Association, said restaurants in the city have been struggling to operate due to the limited availability of LPG cylinders over the past several days. He noted that the shortage is not confined to Tamil Nadu but is being experienced across the country.

'For the past 10-12 days, the whole nation has been facing LPG shortage issues, and our city is facing the same problem. We have no fuel to run the restaurant. The whole of India is troubled by this LPG shortage,' Raju said.

The shortage has emerged amid global energy supply disruptions triggered by the ongoing conflict in West Asia. In response, the Union government has invoked the Essential Commodities Act to prioritise domestic LPG supply, reserving higher allocations for households, hospitals, and essential services while restricting commercial distribution in several regions. (ANI)