Bengaluru hotel owner writes to PM Modi flagging economic impact on women entrepreneurs amid LPG shortage

BENGALRU: Roopa Shastri, the owner of Rasapaka Hotel in Gandhinagar, has directly written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on behalf of women entrepreneurs, requesting the quick resolution of the reported LPG cylinder shortage amid the West Asia conflict. She also requested special attention to the hotels run by women.

In a letter addressed to PM Modi, she appealed for a solution to the commercial LPG crisis faced by women hoteliers in Karnataka. She highlighted the struggle faced by women entrepreneurs like herself with over 50 per cent reduction in the commercial LPG cylinders.

“With a more than 50 per cent reduction in the supply of commercial cylinders, it is becoming impossible to run hotels like our Rasapaka, which feed hundreds of people every day”, she wrote in the letter. Further, she stated that the commercial gas crisis has triggered a major economic blow to the women entrepreneurs, as thousands of women are employed in the hotel industry to earn their livelihood.

“Economic blow to women entrepreneurs: The increase in cylinder prices is completely wiping out our profit margins. It is hitting the livelihood of thousands of women workers who rely on it. It is very regrettable that the industries we have built with our hard work have reached a critical stage due to a lack of fuel, which is an obstacle to women’s empowerment”, she wrote in the letter.

Shastri demanded that commercial LPG supply for the hotel industry in Karnataka be facilitated immediately, special priority be given in the distribution of cooking gas to hotels run by women entrepreneurs, and a subsidy or economic package be announced to protect small hotels from price increases until the gas shortage subsides, the letter stated.

The shortage of LPG has emerged amid global energy supply disruptions triggered by the ongoing conflict in West Asia. In response, the Union government has invoked the Essential Commodities Act to prioritise domestic LPG supply, reserving higher allocations for households, hospitals, and essential services while restricting commercial distribution in several regions. (ANI)