South Goa’s hos pitality sector is staring at a potential shutdown as a worsening shortage of com mercial LPG cylinders crip ples operations, with hotel and restaurant owners warning of serious reper cussions for Goa’s tourism economy. At a press conference in Margao, around 50 mem bers of the South Goa Hotel Association said the crisis has reached near-emer gency levels, with day-to day operations becoming unsustainable. Several es tablishments have already scaled down or are inter mittently shutting depend ing on gas availability. Hotelier Mahendra She tye said the situation on the ground is dire, alleging that against the promised 20 per cent allocation for commercial users, barely 0.5 per cent is reaching es tablishments. He said ho tels and restaurants are en tirely dependent on LPG for cooking, feeding labourers and meeting salary com mitments, questioning how businesses are expected to survive. Owners said they have not received even a single cylin der since March 10 despite having full kitchen infra structure in place. While offi cials have visited for inspec tions and documentation, no supplies have followed, forc ing establishments to rely on temporary arrangements that are not sustainable. The impact is already vis ible, with many hotels and restaurants functioning at around 50 per cent capac ity, opening and shutting based on gas availability. In some cases, operations have come to a standstill, with labourers unwilling to continue without assured work. Owners also report ed pressure from workers demanding wages despite disrupted operations, mak ing it difficult to meet com mitments without income. Several establishments initially reduced menu offerings to cope, but are now considering complete shutdowns as supplies fail to improve. Decisions to op erate are being taken on a day-to-day basis depending on cylinder availability. Hoteliers said the severity of the crisis is not being ad equately recognised, adding that alternatives such as in duction cooking are not via ble for commercial kitchens heavily dependent on LPG. Association president Deepak Ramesh Pai de scribed the situation as critical, noting that while a “war-like global situation” has disrupted fuel supply chains, the ground reality in Goa’s hospitality sector has become increasingly grim. Members also pointed out that despite Chief Minister Pramod Sawant’s assurance in the Assembly of a 20 per cent allocation for commer cial LPG, actual supply on the ground remains negligi ble. They added that earlier restrictions capping supply at 50 per cent had already weakened the sector, and the current shortage has pushed businesses to the brink. Describing the situation as one of survival, the as sociation said the impact extends beyond hotels and restaurants to daily wage earners, labourers and fac tory workers who depend on eateries for affordable meals. The disruption is affecting suppliers, small vendors, transport work ers and regular customers, highlighting wider econom ic and social consequences. They warned that clo sures would have far-reach ing effects, as many people rely on these establishments for daily food needs. The association has de manded that the govern ment create a dedicated supply mechanism for commercial LPG, similar to domestic distribution, and ensure at least one cylinder per establishment per day. Hoteliers cautioned that continued inaction could trigger a cascading crisis, severely impacting Goa’s already strained tourism sector.
