Pune LPG Shortage: Food Vendors Shut Shops, Switch to Coal and Firewood
Pune, 9th April 2026: An ongoing LPG cylinder shortage has severely impacted food vendors across key areas of the city, including Fergusson College Road, Deccan, Camp, Karvenagar, and Warje. The disruption has forced many vendors to shut their shops temporarily, scale down operations, or switch to alternatives such as kerosene, coal, and firewood.
Vendors say irregular supply and rising costs have disrupted daily business and significantly affected their incomes.
At the Khau Galli on Fergusson College Road, Manoj and Kamini Jadhav of Red Chilli Veg Chinese Corner said, “Due to the shortage of cylinders in the market, we are running our business only when we are able to procure them. We had to shut our shop for a month, which resulted in heavy losses.”
Nagesh Chaudhary of Nalstop Bhel Panipuri Centre said, “Along with the gas shortage, rising oil prices are also hitting us hard. Ingredients for dishes like panipuri, bhel, dabeli, and patties have become more expensive.”
Prateek Avhale of Shri Swami Bhuvan Hotel in Karvenagar’s Cummins Khau Galli said, “Our hotel requires gas every two days. We are paying Rs 14,000 to Rs 15,000 for two cylinders. We have had to increase food prices, and as an alternative, we are now using a coal-fired oven.”
Vendors in Warje reported similar challenges. Sopan Mare of Shivmudra Hotel said, “We can operate only on days when we get gas. This has reduced our business by 50 to 60 percent and made it difficult to retain workers.”
Highlighting the uneven supply, Yogesh Wagh, a pulao vendor near Z Bridge, said, “Cylinders are easily available to large hotels, but small vendors like us do not receive gas on time.”
Sachin Kasar of Nilanga Rice Seller in Swargate said, “If the government does not find a solution soon, we may have to shut our shop as well.”
Vendors also said that rising costs are affecting customers. Sagar Bidkar of a Chinese food stall in Camp said, “If we increase prices, customers get upset, but cheaper alternatives like electric grills are not effective.”
Sachin Joshi, a pav bhaji vendor on Junglee Maharaj Road, added, “We are buying cylinders at higher rates and have had to change our menu. The number of customers has also declined.”
With no immediate resolution in sight, small food businesses across Pune continue to struggle to stay afloat amid the ongoing LPG shortage.
