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LPG shortage crisis hits jobs

20 Dec 2021

BY Buddhika Samaraweera Civil organisations have alleged that a large number of people, including restaurant owners and self-employed entrepreneurs such as short eat makers, have lost their livelihoods due to the current liquid petroleum gas (LPG) crisis. Speaking to The Morning yesterday (20), All Island Canteen Owners’ Association (AICOA) President Asela Sampath said that due to the shortage of LPG, a number of restaurants islandwide are unable to operate. “By 18 December, almost all restaurants in Colombo were about to be closed due to the lack of LPG, but they were somehow able to buy some gas on 17 December and a closure was thus prevented. However, restaurants will have to close for a long time if this situation continues,” he noted. He further said that in addition to the city of Colombo, all restaurants in other major cities are also in a crisis due to the shortage of LPG. Claiming that 12.5 kg LPG cylinders are used in most restaurants, Sampath said that it is extremely difficult to find such cylinders at present. He also said that self-employed entrepreneurs selling various short eats too have been greatly inconvenienced due to the LPG crisis, adding: “There are a lot of people who make a living by selling short eats in urban areas, but they also can’t buy the gas they need. As a result, they have also lost their livelihoods.” The gas crisis erupted as a significant number of LPG cylinder-related explosions began to be reported daily from various parts of the island recently. There is a huge shortage of LPG in the market at present, and people are also reluctant to buy LPG for the fear of accidents.


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