LPG Shortage Hits Vizag Kitchens, Eateries Turn to Firewood
An LPG shortage in Visakhapatnam has begun affecting both small eateries and households, forcing food vendors to revert to firewood stoves while residents report delays in receiving domestic cylinders despite placing bookings.
With commercial LPG cylinders becoming scarce across the city, several tiffin centres, fast-food stalls and biryani outlets say they are struggling to run their kitchens. Some vendors have temporarily shifted to traditional firewood cooking to keep their businesses running.
“Commercial cylinders are either not available or the supply is irregular. We cannot afford to shut down, so we have started using firewood stoves for cooking,” said K. Srinivas, who runs a small tiffin centre in the city. “But this slows down the cooking process and makes it difficult to manage during peak hours.”
Food vendors say the shortage has increased operational challenges and raised costs, prompting some eateries to slightly increase menu prices.
Residents across several neighbourhoods have also reported delays in domestic LPG cylinder deliveries. Many households said they were waiting longer than usual even after completing bookings through regular channels.
“Earlier we used to receive the cylinder within two or three days after booking, but now the wait has stretched to nearly a week,” said S. Lakshmi, a resident of MVP Colony. “We are trying to manage by using an induction stove until the cylinder arrives.”
According to local traders and residents, the shortage has created a parallel demand for domestic LPG cylinders in the open market, with some small food businesses reportedly purchasing them at nearly double the usual price to keep their kitchens operational.
The supply disruption has also led to a sharp rise in demand for alternative cooking appliances. Retailers in the city say sales of induction stoves and electric cookers have increased significantly over the past few days as households look for backup options.
“There has been a noticeable surge in customers asking for induction stoves and electric cookers,” said R. Prakash, an appliance retailer. “Many people want an alternative because they are unsure when the LPG supply will normalise.”
Consumers and food vendors have urged authorities and oil marketing companies to address the shortage quickly to prevent further disruption to daily cooking and small food businesses in the city.