Panaji: Fishing trips in Goa have been halted due to a shortage of commercial LPG cylinders after the ongoing conflict in West Asia disrupted LNG shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.
Harshad Dhond, president of All Goa Purse Seine boat owners association, said fishing vessels depend on commercial LPG cylinders to cook food on board for ship staff and without these cylinders boats have stopped embarking on fishing trips.
“The crew of each fishing vessel includes about 30 to 40 men and each fishing trip usually lasts two weeks. Each trip uses about four to five gas cylinders. We had stocks until yesterday, which ran out today. This means that the fishing vessels have stopped sailing to the sea so that they can buy the cylinders,” Dhond told reporters.
He added: “Fish will become scarce over the next few days.”
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There are about 800 fishing vessels departing from Goa’s three main piers: Maleme (Mandovi Pier), Vasco da Gama, and Cutpuna (South Goa).
The threat to fish supplies comes not only from the cessation of fishing activity, but also from restaurants and beach shacks.
The shack owners said they have removed extremely hot items from the menu, instead prioritizing dishes that can be grilled over charcoal or cooked in wood-fired tandoor ovens.
“Some items that absolutely need hot pans, like Chinese dishes and stir-fries, are being taken off the menu in favor of items that can be cooked over a slow fire, like gravies on an induction cooker. Some restaurants are closing while many others may have to close over the coming days,” said Cruz Cardoso, president of All Cottage Owners Association of Goa.
The Goa Travel and Tourism Association, the apex body representing tourism-dependent businesses in the state, said the chief minister’s assurances that Goa has 25 days’ worth of stock have failed to cut ice with the industry, which is still not receiving supplies from commercial distributors.
“A majority of restaurants, beach shacks and catering services depend on LPG for their business. The 25-day stock may not be sufficient and threatens to impact Goa’s economy,” said association secretary Amy Naik.
They demanded that liquefied natural gas supplies be made available commercially to all facilities, that the government enter into dialogue with the centre, suppliers and the distribution network, prepare a backup plan, and ensure strict oversight to prevent the diversion of cylinders to the black market.
On Thursday, IAS Principal Secretary Dr V Kandavelu reviewed the LPG supply situation in the state with representatives of oil companies IOCL, HPCL and BPCL, besides senior state officials, and clarified that priority consumers such as defense institutions, educational institutions and hospitals are exempt from the restrictions.
