Our Bureau
SHILLONG, March 14: Shillong’s kitchens are retreating to the charcoal era as a crippling commercial LPG shortage forces iconic eateries to slash menus, scramble for sold-out induction plates, and battle a black market where cylinder prices have reportedly doubled.
The prolonged supply disruption has hit major hubs, including the North Eastern Hill University (NEHU) campus. At My Café, a popular student hangout, the South Indian section has been shut down entirely due to the high fuel consumption required for the menu.
Co-owner of the café, Raju Lokhani, told The Shillong Times on Saturday that the shortage has forced them to make several operational changes. At the NEHU outlet, the South Indian section has been completely shut down due to the high LPG consumption required for those items.
Despite the disruption, Lokhani said customers have been understanding of the situation.
“This is a crisis for which no individual is responsible. It is a global issue, and people understand that. Most customers simply choose alternative menu options,” he said.
Lokhani, who is also the Managing Director of Shillong Club Residential, said the management has submitted a petition to the authorities seeking intervention to address the shortage.
He said the establishment has started using coal and electricity as substitutes for LPG. About three days ago, he said that they have installed four to five heavy-duty induction cookers that are now being used for several kitchen activities. Coal stoves are also being used to cook food for staff.
According to Lokhani, the remaining LPG stock at the café is expected to last only until Monday or Tuesday, after which the situation could become more uncertain.
Responding to reports that restaurants in cities such as Mumbai and Bengaluru had shut down due to similar shortages, Lokhani described such claims as exaggerated, stating that most eateries have adapted by shifting to alternative energy sources.
He added that the shortage has also led to more careful use of LPG in the kitchen. Earlier, cooking stoves were often left running, leading to unnecessary consumption. Now, staff members switch off the gas immediately after completing small cooking tasks.
“In short, what we are using now is only about 20 percent of our earlier LPG consumption,” he said.
The management hopes that authorities will soon intervene to ease the shortage. If their normal requirement is about 100 cylinders a month, Lokhani said even a supply of 20 to 25 cylinders would help them continue operations.
To conserve fuel, he said that they have also trimmed its menu by removing or reducing items that require extensive LPG usage. For instance, boiled eggs are now prepared in batches instead of individually for each order, and are served cold when required. Tea preparation has also been shifted from LPG stoves to induction cookers, while certain fried items that require longer cooking time have been reduced.
“These are small measures to ensure that we do not have to shut down entirely. Overall, our LPG consumption has reduced by more than 70 percent,” Lokhani said.
While the shortage has affected some of their outlets, he said the impact at the club itself has been minimal as it does not operate a full-fledged restaurant.
Lokhani added that establishments usually maintain reserve stocks to avoid sudden disruptions. Normally requiring two to three cylinders a day, they keep several times that number in reserve, including empty cylinders and those connected to the gas bank system.
He said they anticipated the shortage when reports about the crisis began emerging from other parts of the country and therefore started shifting to electricity and coal in advance.
“Without gas, you would have to close down completely. That is why we acted early and reduced our consumption by more than 70 percent,” he said.
Echoing similar concerns, City Hut Dhaba owner Jiwat Vaswani said the situation has become very difficult for restaurant owners.
He said the restaurant has tried to minimise the use of LPG as much as possible and has begun using coal and charcoal as alternatives. In addition, microwave ovens and electrical induction cookers are being used to continue food preparation.
“We have also reduced several items from the menu, especially those that take longer to cook and require more LPG gas,” Vaswani said.
Describing the situation as a major challenge, he said restaurants are trying to manage with the available resources while hoping the supply situation improves soon. “It is a big problem, but we are managing. We are hoping the situation improves and the regular supply of LPG resumes,” he added.
The impact is equally severe across the city’s hospitality sector.
Parambir Singh Sehdave, president of the Federation of Shillong Hotels, warned that while total shutdowns have not yet been confirmed, they may be inevitable as stocks vanish.
“The situation is critical. Even induction plates are now unavailable in the market due to a sudden surge in demand,” Sehdave said. He further alleged that a black market has emerged, with the few available commercial cylinders being sold at nearly double the official rate.
The Federation has petitioned the Deputy Commissioner and Indian Oil Corporation (IOCL) for immediate relief.
Earlier, the Meghalaya government had downplayed fears of any shortage in the state and assured citizens of sufficient stocks.
Minister of Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs Methodius Dkhar had, on Thursday, cautioned people against hoarding and panic buying, stating that the state currently has adequate LPG stock.
The assurance followed an intensive review meeting with Deputy Commissioners, Sub-Divisional Officers, the Commissioner and Secretary of Food and Civil Supplies, and representatives from oil marketing companies, including Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL).
But the state government has stepped in, writing to the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas to demand an uninterrupted supply of commercial LPG, citing the threat to the state’s tourism-dependent economy. For now, however, the “Scotland of the East” remains clouded by the smoke of firewood and coal as the gas crisis shows no signs of abating.
