LUCKNOW, March 11 -- The aroma of sizzling snacks that draws crowds to Chatori Gali, home to about 160 food stalls in the heart of the city, is fading fast. A shortage of commercial LPG cylinders has already forced 49 stalls to shut, and vendors warn a near-total closure is imminent.

For Avinash Kumar, who runs a small soya chap stall near 1090 Crossing, the crisis strikes at survival. "We are small-time vendors. Our stalls are how we earn our two square meals. Without LPG, we cannot cook, and from tomorrow almost all of us will be closed," he said.

Vinod Kushwaha, who sells dosa pav bhaji, had to turn away customers and send his assistants home. "There is nothing I can do. The customers are coming, but we cannot serve them," he said. ...