The Lawyers’ Canteen at the Delhi High Court has temporarily suspended the preparation and serving of main course items due to the ‘unavailability of LPG cylinders’, until further notice. The decision comes in the wake of the Iran–Israel conflict, which has begun to ripple through Bengaluru, Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi, among other cities, disrupting the supply of commercial LPG cylinders.
“This is to respectfully inform you that due to the unavailability of the LPG gas cylinder at present, we regret that we are unable to prepare and serve the main course items in the Lawyers Canteen,” the canteen said in a notice accessed by LiveLaw.
The canteen stated that services will return to normal as soon as the gas supply becomes available. “At the moment, we do not have any information regarding when the LPG supply will be restored. We will resume the preparation of the main course as soon as the gas supply becomes available,” the notice said.
The Centre, however, has said that there is no nationwide LPG crisis, adding that refineries have been directed to increase production by around 10% to stabilize supplies.
Government invokes ECA and ESMA to manage supply
The Center has invoked the Essential Commodities Act (ECA) and the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) in a bid to manage the ongoing supply crunch. The move prioritizes household LPG over commercial consumption. Refineries have been instructed to operate at full capacity and divert additional production exclusively for domestic use.
To prevent hoarding, the government has also extended the LPG booking interval from 21 days to 25 days.
In a related step, the government on Tuesday began rationing natural gas supplies, prioritizing households receiving piped natural gas as well as vehicles running on compressed natural gas (CNG).
Under the new order, a four-tier priority system has been introduced for gas allocation. Supplies to lower-priority sectors — including petrochemical plants, power stations and oil refineries — will be curtailed to ensure availability for essential services.
Hotels and restaurants bear the brunt
The curbs have triggered concern among commercial users, particularly hotels and restaurants that rely heavily on LPG cylinders for daily operations.
The Bangalore Hotels Association issued a warning over the impact of the supply halt, stating: “The supply of gas cylinders for commercial use has been stopped from today. Essential services like senior citizens, students, and hospitals rely on it. Immediate action is expected from Union Ministers to resume commercial gas supply.”
National Vice President of the LPG Association, RK Gupta, also confirmed the suspension, adding: “The next booking will be allowed after a 25-day inter-booking period to avoid hoarding, and there is no shortage as claimed by oil companies.”
