Commercial LPG shortage: HCLTech gives WFH option till March 13 as gas crunch disrupts office canteen

HCLTech has offered its employees at the Chennai office the option to work from home on March 12-13 after a commercial LPG shortage triggered by the ongoing war in West Asia disrupted cafeteria operations, LiveMint reported, citing senior executives aware of the matter. 

According to the executives, many cafeteria vendors were not able to operate due to the ongoing LPG crunch. HCLTech, however, is not the only one to face food-related disruptions due to the ongoing conflict. 

Catch all the live updates of the West Asia conflict here

India's second-largest IT firm, Infosys, also told its employees on Wednesday that there would be temporary disruptions in food court services across its campuses in Pune, Bengaluru and Chennai. 

As per the email sent to employees, the canteen menu at Infosys will be limited, and food will be sourced from external kitchens due to the LPG cylinder shortage. It added that live counters preparing dishes such as dosas and omelettes would be temporarily withdrawn until further notice. 

"Food court vendors are currently receiving reduced LPG supplies from their respective providers. All food courts will temporarily operate with a limited menu. Some of the cooked food will be sourced from the vendor's central kitchen externally. Alternate cooking through Electrical appliances / Biofuel will be increased," the mail to Pune employees read.

Meanwhile, Union Minister Giriraj Singh on Thursday reiterated Prime Minister Narendra Modi's comment that India will navigate through the LPG shortage just like it did during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

"We have managed during the pandemic. We will manage this, too. They don't care because their leaders don't care. Congress works to spread delusions all day. Congress has nothing else to do," Giriraj Singh said.

The government has invoked the Essential Commodities Act (ECA) to prioritise LPG supply for households, hospitals, educational institutions, and other essential services, while putting restrictions on commercial distribution. 

Refineries have been directed to increase LPG production, and the output is up around 25 per cent since March 8. The booking period for domestic cylinders has also been extended from 21 to 25 days and the state governments have been asked to crack down against black marketing and hoarding.