Hyderabad: A shortage of commercial LPG cylinders in Hyderabad has begun affecting food delivery services, with riders and app-based drivers reporting long waiting times and fewer orders as restaurants scale down cooking operations.
Delivery workers said several hotels have either reduced food preparation or stopped accepting orders on platforms such as Swiggy and Zomato due to the lack of fuel.
“There is almost a 90-minute waiting time on delivery apps now. Some places have already stopped operations. We are waiting nearly 90 minutes for deliveries and earning barely `55 from it. With Ramzan traffic already heavy in the Old City, it’s becoming very difficult,” said Dawood Ali, a delivery worker. “There is also zero help from Swiggy and Zomato.”
The Telangana State Hotels Association said many hotels had not received commercial LPG cylinders for the past three days, affecting their ability to operate normally. “We have not received gas for the past three days. We met the gas distributors today and requested the state and Central governments to allow at least 50 per cent supply so we can meet the food requirements of staff and guests staying in our hotels,” said C.H. Venugopal, secretary of the association.
“Normally we get about five cylinders, but right now we are requesting that at least two-and-a-half cylinders be released so we can manage basic cooking for staff and guests.”
Hotel operators said food delivery was among the first services to be curtailed when fuel availability declined.
“Without sufficient fuel it is impossible to handle delivery orders. Supplying food to our own staff is difficult, so Swiggy and Zomato orders are simply not possible right now,” Venugopal said. “Almost all hotels, except cloud kitchens, pushcarts and some large chains, have stopped supplying through Swiggy and Zomato.”
Restaurant operators said several outlets had kept their profiles active on delivery platforms but were rejecting incoming orders as kitchens could not keep up without adequate fuel. Some outlets had also removed certain items, including Irani chai, from their menus. A few large chains selling fried food items have temporarily suspended operations.
“We are keeping Swiggy and Zomato active for as long as possible. Let’s see how it goes,” said a restaurant manager in Secunderabad.
The National Restaurant Association of India said the government had clarified that there was no ban on the supply of commercial LPG but that distributors were unable to supply cylinders in several areas.
The Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union said shortages of LPG and CNG could affect thousands of workers dependent on app-based services. The union said any disruption in fuel supply could lead to fewer trips and reduced earnings for drivers and delivery workers associated with platforms such as Ola, Uber, Rapido, Swiggy and Zomato.
“Everything seems normal so far. CNG pumps usually have long queues anyway and I haven’t faced any problem yet. But there is a lot of talk about shortages everywhere, so naturally there is some worry,” said Ravi, a CNG taxi driver working with Uber.
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