HCLTech asks Chennai employees to work from home after office cafeterias face cooking gas crisis

HCLTech asked employees at its Chennai office to work from home for two days after LPG shortage disrupted cafeteria services, highlighting how India’s ongoing commercial cooking gas crisis is impacting corporate workplaces.

India’s LPG Cylinder shortage saga continues. Now IT services giant HCLTech has reportedly directed employees of one of its major offices to work from home temporarily as cooking gas shortage hit office cafeteria vendors. The news comes as restaurant owners and street food vendors continue to struggle with India’s LPG crunch.

Gas shortage hits office cafeteria, HCLTech asks employees to WFH temporarily

Media reports suggested that HCLTech told employees working at its Chennai office to work from home on March 12 and March 13 after vendors supplying food at the office cafeteria experienced difficulty in operation due to commercial LPG shortage. Several vendors catering food to HCLTech employees reportedly were unable to operate kitchens as they could not get enough supply of cooking gas.

HCLTech has reportedly directed employees to work from home temporarily so that employees are not inconvenienced while cooking gas shortage plays out at the office cafeteria. Several vendors were unable to serve food as they did not have sufficient stock of cooking gas.

Also read: LPG cylinder not delivered after booking? Step-by-step guide to filing complaints against Indane, Bharat gas and HP gas dealers

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Indian Companies brace up for LPG shortage

Commercial LPG shortage has hit restaurants, hostels and small eateries selling street food across the country. Several restaurants have had to cut down on the number of dishes they serve. Some kitchens have even temporarily shut shop until the cooking gas supply improves.

Hotels and restaurants say items such as roti, dosa, and pooris have vanished from their menu across several states as they consume more cooking gas. Restaurants, cloud kitchens and eateries have had to switch to alternatives such as electric induction top boxes or even microwave ovens. Some restaurants have also reportedly started using firewood to cook meals on their kitchens.

Hotels, Restaurants, hostels and catering businesses use large quantities of cooking gas and rely on commercial cylinders to operate their kitchens every day.

LPG Crunch Emerges as an energy crisis

Energy analysts say that continuing tensions in West Asia have disrupted fuel supplies and choked LPG shipments worldwide. India receives a lot of its energy supply from West Asian countries and the conflict in the area has raised questions about energy security and forced companies worldwide to deal with mounting uncertainties.

As many restaurants and hotels have been relying on commercial LPG gas cylinders to run their kitchens, the government has increased its vigil on Indian shores and made efforts to ensure Indian households do not run into cooking gas shortages. However, most commercial users continue to face supply delays and higher LPG prices.

LPG shortage hits corporate India

Hotels, restaurants, cloud kitchens and caterers were among the first businesses to feel the pinch of India’s cooking gas shortage. However, it now appears corporate offices will have to bear the brunt of the shortage as large campuses offer catering services for employees.

HCLTech’s decision to ask employees to WFH briefly is likely a short-term solution until food services at office cafeterias return to normal. However, if cooking gas shortages continue to hammer the country, more companies may have to mandate employees to work from home until things return to normalcy.

Situation involving price of petrol, diesel and LPG is evolving rapidly amidst the ongoing conflict in Middle East. Reports regarding immediate shortages of fuel may be exaggerated. Zee News sources its information from official updates from the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas and authorized LPG distributors (Indane, Bharat gas, HP Gas) and advises its readers to rely on the said sources.

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The Times Of Bengal