Nashik/Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Restaurants and caterers in Sambhajinagar have hurriedly started to shift to firewood stoves, trimming their menus, and in some cases, shutting down live counters amid the unfolding commercial gas crisis. In Nashik, owners of wedding halls and lawns in Nashik have also started exploring for alternatives to fulfil their existing bookings for March, April and May.The Wedding Halls and Lawns Owners’ Association in Nashik on Thursday clarified that bookings for March, April and May would proceed as scheduled, offering relief to families preparing for upcoming ceremonies. “We are committed to fulfilling all bookings despite the gas shortage. We are exploring various alternatives to LPG cylinders. One option is preparing food at off-site locations using firewood and then transporting it to the venues. This will allow functions to continue without disruption,” Sunil Chopda, president of the association, said.Nashik district has around 300 wedding halls, lawns, resorts and hotels, with nearly 170 located in Nashik city. With 25 wedding muhurats between March and May, all venues are booked — translating to roughly 6,000 weddings. At an average expenditure of Rs 15 lakh each, the district is expected to witness a wedding-related turnover of around Rs 900 crore during this period.Chopda said diesel-fired large stoves (common one or two decades ago before LPG became the norm) could also be revived. “These stoves are no longer easily available, but manufacturers can make them again. This may become another viable option,” he said.The association is also evaluating the use of hybrid stoves and electric inductions that are initially ignited by LPG but primarily run on electricity. “Supporting caterers through shared investments in alternative equipment will help maintain schedules and prevent any disruption to wedding functions,” Chopda said.According to the Aurangabad District Hotels and Restaurants’ Owners Association (ADHRA), the city has nearly 1,500 restaurants, bars and hotels, several of which are already running their kitchens partially due to the acute shortage of commercial LPG cylinders. A significant number of establishments have even shut down their kitchens temporarily as they struggle to find viable alternatives.The crisis has also compelled eateries to drastically cut down their menus. ADHRA president Shivaji Patil said the industry was completely unprepared for the sudden halt in supply. “Our industry was not ready for this crisis. Some establishments have already shut their kitchens, while others are fighting to stay operational. Although hotels and restaurants are trying to manage with traditional stoves, electric induction units and other makeshift arrangements, they simply cannot find a substitute that works as effectively as gas stoves,” he said.Patil said most commercial kitchens are built around LPG-based infrastructure, making a sudden shift to firewood, biomass or charcoal extremely impractical. “Commercial kitchens are designed for gas. Switching to traditional fuels requires structural changes, proper ventilation and additional space, none of which can be arranged overnight,” he said.Members of the association expressed frustration and blamed the district civil supplies department and govt for failing to foresee and manage such a situation. The ongoing disruption has created widespread uncertainty for the hospitality industry, which relies heavily on uninterrupted LPG supply.Echoing the industry’s concerns, ADHRA secretary Kishor Shetty, who operates four restaurants in the city, said he has switched to a centralised kitchen system to cope with the crisis. “On normal days, our four units collectively serve around 253 dishes. Due to the stoppage of commercial LPG supply, we have had to cut the menu to about 40% of the usual items. Most live food preparations have been discontinued,” he said.Shetty warned that if the situation persists for another week, many restaurants may be forced to shut their kitchens entirely or limit cooking to items that can be prepared using tandoors or other available alternatives.Restaurant owners said the crisis could soon deal a serious blow to food businesses across the city unless commercial LPG supply is restored urgently.
