Panaji/Ponda: Facing a severe shortage of commercial LPG cylinders, the association of caterers on Tuesday demanded immediate govt intervention.Govt has to help as many of us (caterers) have stopped accepting orders, said Sudesh Bhingi, president of Goa Catering Association, at a press conference held along with office bearers Rohit Naik, Mohammed Shaikh, Abhijit Teli, Deepa Shirgaonkar, Vignesh Gaonkar, Girish Desai, and Vaibhav Kanekar.“This is the peak season for events and weddings and we have taken advance payments from clients and we must deliver. But the situation is dire as there are no gas cylinders available to cook. We have already discontinued live counters serving jalebi and fried snacks since that consumes a lot of fuel. Now even routine services will be hit due to the shortage,” Bhingi said.Moreover, with ongoing expenses such as workers’ wages and other operational costs, caterers are now facing the grim necessity of having to close down their businesses, he added.“The industry is in a very critical condition. We appeal to govt to support us during this time,” Bhingi said.Last week, the association submitted a memorandum to chief minister Pramod Sawant. They said that despite receiving assurance from the chief minister, there was no resolution of their grievances.
