Thiruvananthapuram: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday wrote a letter to Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri seeking the Centre’s urgent intervention to ensure an adequate supply of LPG cylinders at affordable prices in Kerala.

In the letter, Vijayan pointed out that the ongoing war has severely affected the availability of petroleum products, causing difficulties for consumers and businesses. The Chief Minister said the situation is particularly challenging for Kerala, which has a large working population travelling across districts and a significant number of migrant workers.

"All these sections depend on small and medium hotels and restaurants for food. Consequent to the shortage in LPG cylinders, the association of hotels and restaurants have informed that most of them will not be able to function normally. The hardship that will be caused to the people will be substantial," the letter reads.

Vijayan urged the Union government to ensure adequate LPG supply for domestic consumers as well as hotels and restaurants. He also requested the Centre to consider providing subsidies from budgetary resources, if necessary, to keep LPG prices affordable.