Noida: Restaurants are raising menu prices after delays in obtaining commercial piped natural gas connections have forced them to keep using costlier LPG cylinders.Several owners who applied for PNG connections nearly two months ago said they had held off price hikes anticipating the cheaper fuel. With connections still pending, many have now started revising menu prices and delivery charges to offset rising operational expenses, said Varun Khera, president of the National Restaurants Association of India (Noida Chapter).Commercial LPG prices have risen steeply in recent months — by Rs 114.5 in March, Rs 195.5 in April, Rs 1,000 in May, and Rs 42 on June 1 — taking the cost of a 19-kg cylinder to over Rs 3,110, up from around Rs 1,700 before the hikes.The issue has affected restaurants in sectors including 18, 29, 49, 63, 104 and 117, among others. While some establishments are awaiting permissions for pipeline-related work, others have been told their applications are not technically feasible due to space constraints.An Indraprastha Gas Ltd (IGL) spokesperson said restaurants in Sector 18 are awaiting permissions from Noida Authority for service line laying, with the application submitted last month. There is also inadequate space for installation of a meter regulating station (MRS) due to adjoining shops. Applications from restaurants in the remaining sectors have been held back due to space constraints at customer premises; IGL said it has suggested alternatives but given no timeline for resolution.GB Nagar district supply officer Smriti Gautam said multiple meetings have been held among stakeholders — including Noida Authority and gas company officials — to resolve the space issue and enable the transition from LPG to PNG. “But this may take time,” she said.TOI earlier reported a surge in PNG demand, with over 10,000 new domestic consumers added since March. For commercial establishments, however, logistical hurdles have slowed the rollout. Around 170 new commercial connections were approved since March; in May, 131 requests were received, of which 73 were approved and 36 completed.The continued dependence on LPG has significantly raised operating costs, compounded by rising food and packaging prices. Transport and distribution costs have pushed up fresh produce and packaged goods by 4–11%, Khera said. “From edible oils to dairy to fresh vegetables to poultry, prices of each item used in a commercial kitchen have increased by at least 5%. After adding these up, coupled with rising LPG costs, restaurants can no longer hold their prices without incurring losses,” said a restaurateur from Sector 104 whose PNG application was rejected due to lack of space for an MRS.Delivery-dependent restaurants face an additional squeeze: the cost of plastic packaging has nearly doubled due to disruptions in polymer supplies linked to the West Asia conflict, Khera said.Menu prices have been revised upwards by at least Rs 50 per item from June 1. At several restaurants, a main course dish has gone from Rs 300 to Rs 320 for dine-in, while delivery packing charges have doubled from Rs 30 to Rs 60.
