Hyderabad Faces Commercial LPG Crisis, Food Delivery Services Paralyzed
A critical shortage of commercial LPG cylinders has gripped Hyderabad, severely disrupting the city's food delivery ecosystem and leaving thousands of gig workers in financial distress as restaurants are forced to scale back operations. The supply crunch has created a ripple effect across platforms like Zomato and Swiggy, with delivery partners reporting a drastic reduction in their daily order volumes and earnings.
Restaurants Forced to Cut Menus and Online Orders
With limited access to cooking gas, numerous eateries across Hyderabad have taken emergency measures. Many have significantly reduced their menu offerings, while others have temporarily stopped accepting online orders altogether to conserve their dwindling LPG supplies. This operational scaling has directly translated into far fewer delivery opportunities for riders.
"We are operating with very limited gas cylinders," explained Kishore, a restaurant manager in the upscale Banjara Hills area. "Because of this severe constraint, we had to reduce our menu and are now prioritizing dine-in customers over online delivery orders to manage our resources."
Gig Workers' Earnings Halved Amid Delivery Drought
The impact on delivery partners, who rely on daily trips for their livelihood, has been immediate and severe. Riders report spending long, unproductive hours waiting for orders that never come.
"Earlier I used to complete around 25 to 30 deliveries a day. Now I barely get 10 to 12 orders even after staying online for extended periods," said Ramesh Y, a delivery partner in Hyderabad. "Our earnings have almost been halved overnight due to this situation."
Another rider, Mohd Imran, described the frustrating reality: "Many of us are now spending hours idling near restaurants, hoping to get an order. Sometimes we stay logged into the app for 10 to 12 hours straight, but there are hardly enough deliveries to go around. A significant number of hotels are simply not accepting orders at all."
Unions Step In, Seek Government Intervention
The crisis has mobilized gig worker advocacy groups. The Indian Federation of App-based Transport Workers and the Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union have highlighted how the LPG shortage is devastating delivery partners' livelihoods. They note that Telangana is home to approximately 4.2 lakh gig workers, including those with cab aggregators and various e-commerce platforms.
Salauddin Sheikh, head of the union, outlined their dual response: "We are advising delivery partners to temporarily explore alternative income sources, such as switching to other e-commerce platforms, quick delivery services, or even bike ride-sharing services, to bridge the income gap."
"Simultaneously, we are formally writing to the Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, requesting immediate intervention to ensure an adequate and stable supply of commercial LPG cylinders to Hyderabad," Sheikh added, emphasizing the need for urgent government action to resolve the supply chain issue.
The ongoing shortage underscores the fragile interdependence within the urban food delivery economy, where a disruption in a basic commodity like cooking gas can swiftly cascade into widespread economic hardship for a vulnerable workforce.
