BENGALURU: The High Court of Karnataka on Wednesday sought a response from the Union and state governments on a petition filed by the Bangalore Hotels Association (BHA) and four others. The BHA’s plea seeks directions for uninterrupted supply of commercial LPG cylinders to the hotels and restaurants in Bengaluru.
Justice Sachin Shankar Magadum directed the governments to submit by Monday their responses along with the proportionate share of the state, total supply of cylinders this month and the stock available.
The petitioners’ counsel, K Satish, informed the court that Bengaluru has around 40,000 eateries, and around 6,00,000 labourers work in them. Many of these establishments have trimmed their menus and shortened business hours, while some others have even temporarily shut down their business, leaving the workers jobless. He said some hotels have also stopped purchasing perishable goods such as vegetables, meat, eggs and fruits, fearing imminent closure.
Advocate Satish submitted that the government issued the Natural Gas (supply) Order, 2026, after assessing the disruption of natural gas supply due to the ongoing conflict in West Asia. The March-9 order makes it abundantly clear that there shall be only 80% supply to industrial and commercial consumers, subject to operational availability, he said.
According to the policy framed by the state government, only 1,000 commercial LPG cylinders per day would be supplied throughout the state, which is less than 5% of the regular supplies, he alleged.
Meanwhile, counsel for the Union government submitted that the situation was not anticipated, and he will seek instructions, as the supply of commercial LPG cylinders is a policy decision.