India, March 12 -- LUCKNOW Even as the city witnessed 1200 to 1500 weddings on Wednesday, panic over the shortage of commercial gas cylinders forced caterers to rely on traditional firewood to keep the kitchens running.

"Few cylinders were available in the black market till yesterday, but the supply dried up completely today," said Vijay Kumar, state president of the Tent Caterers and Decoration Welfare Association.

"Firewood has been our primary support in overcoming this shortage. To manage the large-scale catering requirements, teams adopted a hybrid approach: part of the menu was prepared using the remaining gas stocks, while the rest was cooked over traditional wood-fired stoves," he said.

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