Roadside eateries in Vijayawada worst hit by LPG crisis

Street vendors and owners of roadside carts and stalls are the hardest hit due to the restrictions placed on commercial LPG supply in the country.

In Vijayawada, where streets bustle with heightened activity in the evenings with many people thronging their favourite stalls for a plate of deep-fried snacks, the crisis has left many owners struggling to keep their stalls running.

Many small carts earn around ₹1,000-₹2,000, some of which is spent on meeting the requirements of the next day.

Kumari, who owns a cart selling shawarma and kulfi in the lane next to the PVP mall, says she had to close the stall for three days. She said she has been trying to get in touch with gas agencies for the past three days, who have not answered her calls till now. At her stall, she needs a refill every fourth day.

“As it is, during the Ramzan season, much of our customer base is shifted to the Panja Centre, where Haleem is famous. The LPG crisis has come as the body blow,” said Ms. Kumari, who is now clueless about when she can resume operating the cart.

In the city’s Eat Street, the go-to spot for all kinds of food, the situation looks grim. Narasimha, who helps his father run a tiffin stall, says that they had discontinued operating their stall for two days, Thursday and Friday, so that they can open it on the weekend.

“We see a lot of customers on Saturdays and Sundays, more than 150,” he says. The stall registers a footfall of more than 100 on weekdays. The number rises to 150 and beyond on the weekends.

Mr. Narasimha, a student at a private engineering college in the city, says seven people, including him and his father, work at the stall. “The crisis has stripped us of our daily earnings. This is the only source of income for five families,” he says. Here, two cylinders are used for running the stall between 8.30 p.m. and 12.30 a.m. for three days.

Kulfi/Falooda stalls account for 30% of the total stalls in the Eat Street. They remain unaffected, while the tiffin centres here are the hardest hit. Until the crisis blows over, they will have to cut down their operations.