LPG crisis reaches Kolkata’s iconic 120-year-old Jewish bakery, forces rare shutdown of 5 days

Nahoum & Sons, Kolkata’s iconic 120-year-old Jewish bakery, has shut operations for five days due to a shortage of cooking gas. A notice outside the New Market outlet said the bakery would remain closed from March 18 to March 22 due to unavoidable circumstances.

An official at the bakery said operations had been under strain for some time due to the limited availability of commercial LPG cylinders.

“We were continuing operation despite limited commercial LPG cylinder supply, but production had to be scaled down significantly. Eventually, it became unfeasible to operate under such constraints, and a temporary shutdown was the only option,” Jagadish Haldar told news agency PTI.

The disruption comes as the ongoing West Asia crisis affects energy supplies, with the choking of the Strait of Hormuz impacting fuel availability, including LPG.

The bakery said it expects to reopen on March 23. “We will open on March 23 and hope to resume full-fledged operation as early as we can,” Haldar said.

Known for maintaining its traditions, Nahoum & Sons remains closed on Saturdays in observance of Jewish customs. Apart from the COVID-19 lockdown, such a shutdown is rare. The bakery had earlier closed briefly in 2013 following the death of its owner, David Nahoum.

Regarded as a heritage landmark in Kolkata, the bakery continues to draw customers for its signature offerings such as plum cakes, lemon tarts, brownies, almond kisses and fish pantras.

Earlier today, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas said domestic LPG bookings are nearing pre-war levels, indicating gradual normalisation, even as supply restrictions continue for commercial users due to disruptions caused by the West Asia conflict.

Before the February 28 military strikes by the US and Israel on Iran, over 33 crore domestic consumers were booking around 55 lakh cylinders daily.

The war cut off nearly 60 per cent of India’s LPG access, triggering panic buying and supply curbs for commercial users.

Bookings surged to 87.7 lakh on March 13 at the peak of panic demand, before easing to around 56–57 lakh by March 18. 

Commercial users continue to receive only about 20 per cent of their requirement.

Domestic LPG production has risen by over 40 per cent in the past two weeks, and public sector oil companies are maintaining pre-war levels of daily deliveries.

Consumers in areas with city gas networks are being encouraged to shift to piped natural gas, with 1.25 lakh new connections issued in the past two weeks across domestic, commercial and industrial segments.

Enforcement action against black marketing has intensified, with raids, seizures and FIRs reported in multiple states. The Centre has asked states to prevent hoarding and take strict action against violators.

Alternate fuels such as kerosene are also being promoted, and commercial LPG stocks have been allocated to states based on priority needs.