COIMBATORE: It’s not just the restaurants, many Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) too are bearing the brunt of the LPG crisis, a fallout of the war in West Asia, with the entrepreneurs now scared of losing their business if the crisis continues. The manufactures in foundry, lathe workshop, fabrication, precision engineering and specialised engineering units who buy LPG cylinders through commercial supply agencies claimed they are in short supply since Tuesday.
“LPG is used for cutting raw materials, making machines, and other products. As a unit manufacturing oil tanks, pipes and engineering products, we need two LPG commercial cylinders a day for gas cutting and welding works. Industrial units like us have been severely affected by the current shortage of gas cylinders for commercial use,” said K Krishnavel, an MSME industrialist from SIDCO industrial estate in Coimbatore.
“Companies that export pipelines and machinery needed for oil and gas companies in Kuwait are in danger of being crippled, as they are unable to export on the date prescribed in the contract, and are facing fines. This comes on top of rising cost of raw materials,” he added. N Mathivanan, president of Cosiema, an industrial association, said, “Almost 90% industries in Coimbatore requires gas cylinders for operation. Engineering industrial units need 1 to 10 LPG cylinders on a daily basis. The supply of cylinders has been limited. We are afraid of losing orders.”