With Tamil Nadu feeling the pain of the acute shortage of LPG cylinders due to the ongoing US-Israel war on Iran, both Chief Minister MK Stalin and opposition AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) have urged the Modi government to make alternative arrangements expeditiously to ease the situation.
The sudden shortage of commercial LPG cylinders has forced hotels and eateries to scale down their regular operations in Chennai and across the state, raising an alarm. Similar reports from Bengaluru have also indicated the seriousness of the situation. The India Oil Corporation’s (IOC) facility at Manali near Chennai has reportedly stopped supplying 19-kg commercial LPG cylinders and reduced the supply of domestic LPG cylinders by half.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, who held a review meeting to assess the impact of the US-Iran conflict on the state and chart necessary response measures, has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to ensure that the LPG shortage does not affect public and commercial consumers.
Stalin has also asked the Prime Minister to ensure the safety of Tamils living across the Gulf countries and to safeguard the welfare of Tamil Nadu fishermen stranded in the region. “I have also emphasised that the Union government must ensure that the LPG cylinder shortage arising from this conflict does not affect public, commercial establishments, or MSME industries in Tamil Nadu. I have further urged that all necessary alternative arrangements be made for restaurants affected by commercial cylinder shortage and that additional power be supplied,” he said in a social media post.
Referring to the IOC temporarily halting LPG supply and requesting the public to use alternative fuel, EPS has urged the Modi government to take necessary steps so that the situation does not become acute. In a social media post, he also asked the DMK government not to create panic among the people.
Meanwhile, the Chennai Hotels Association has written to the Prime Minister requesting uninterrupted supply of commercial LPG for the food industry, which caters to hospitals, IT parks, college hostels, and the travelling public, among others.