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INDORE: A squeeze in the supply of commercial LPG cylinders is casting a shadow over the ongoing peak wedding season across Madhya Pradesh, forcing hotels and caterers to rethink menus, cut down live cooking stations, and explore alternate cooking options.Industry bodies say the timing could not have been worse. The current fortnight is among the busiest wedding periods of the year, with more than 2,500 weddings scheduled across the state till March 15, and most auspicious mahurats falling on March 14 and 15. Most hotels and marriage gardens in MP are already booked for weddings and post-wedding celebrations until March 22.

According to caterers, a single wedding of around 1,000 guests typically consumes 15 to 20 commercial LPG cylinders, depending on the scale of the menu and cooking requirements. With commercial LPG cylinders becoming difficult to procure, hospitality operators say their existing stocks may last only a few days.“This is the peak wedding season, and we are completely booked until March 15. We made commitments to families who had made advance payments,” said Tejkul Pal Singh, president of Bhopal Hotel and Restaurant Association. “Most of us have LPG stocks for the next 3 to 5 days. Beyond that, we have no idea how kitchens will operate.”The shortage has particularly hit restaurants, hotels, and caterers that rely heavily on 19-kg commercial LPG cylinders to run large kitchens, raising concerns about how they will manage cooking operations if supplies do not stabilise soon.Many caterers are advising families to simplify wedding menus, reduce live stations, and avoid dishes that require continuous high-flame cooking. Some kitchens are also considering the temporary use of electric appliances or induction-based cooking systems to maintain services if the shortage persists.“We are in a fix. We are booked and struggling to meet commitments due to restrictions on commercial LPG. We are switching to diesel bhatti and electrical appliances as an alternate,” said Ajay Jain, zonal chairman of MP Catering Association.Hospitality operators say the shortage is forcing them to take immediate operational measures to conserve existing stocks.“The city (Indore) is currently booked to capacity for major events till March 12, and any disruption during this window would not only impact business operations but also the experience of thousands of visitors to the city,” said Anish Srivastava, general manager, operations at Sayaji Group of Hotels. “We have temporarily limited our live counters and specific high-consumption LPG-based cooking stations to conserve existing stocks,” he saidHospitality associations also took up the matter with the state govt, seeking urgent intervention to ensure uninterrupted supply during the peak wedding period.Sumit Suri of MP Hoteliers Association said, “We met chief minister on Wednesday and informed him about our challenges. The CM assured us that things will normalise soon. Meanwhile, we are exploring alternate modes of cooking, but this will take time.”“Families plan weddings months in advance and caterers cannot cancel bookings at the last moment. Even a short disruption in LPG supply can create chaos during peak wedding days,” said Rakesh Gupta, an Indore-based event organiser.