MUMBAI: The city’s hospitality and food supply chains are feeling the heat as Mahanagar Gas Ltd’s partial curtailment of 20% of piped gas to commercial and industrial users begins to cause ripples across the city. Around 30-35% of hotels in Mumbai that depend on piped gas have been affected, forcing many establishments to reduce items on menu or look for alternative fuel and energy sources.In a statement, MGL said it had implemented “a partial curtailment” of gas supply to industrial and commercial customers “due to the prevailing geopolitical developments affecting the import of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) and are supplying them 80% gas.” The company maintained domestic PNG (piped cooking gas at home) consumers and CNG stations continue to receive 100% supply and remain unaffected.The curtailment in piped gas supply for industrial users is 50%, an official said.
The disruption has come at a time when anxiety over fuel availability is already high. In Bhandup, LPG supplies resumed on Friday under heavy police protection after deliveries were disrupted following an assault at a local dealership. Five police personnel were deployed at the outlet as large crowds gathered from early morning, with dealers reporting panic-driven bookings rather than any real depletion of household stocks.“Deliveries had slowed after the assault, but with more bandobast in place, full-fledged distribution has started again,” a dealer said.Even as domestic consumers saw some relief, commercial LPG users such as hotels, canteens and bulk buyers continued to face uncertainty, with supplies yet to resume fully. The strain was visible across multiple sectors.At Goregaon’s Film City, food providers said they were being forced to tweak menus. The impact has also spread to the vegetable trade, where wholesalers say demand from hotels and eateries has dropped sharply. In Mulund, a wholesale vegetable vendor said 60-70% of regular bulk buyers who were from restaurants and street business were not lifting stock, leading to significant wastage.Dealers, though, pointed to a possible easing of the situation after reports that two ships carrying gas had crossed the Strait of Hormuz and were headed to India, raising hopes of improved availability.
