Lucknow, April 6 -- Tehran is nearly 3000 kilometres from Lucknow, but the West Asia war is sending ripples here as energy imports via the Strait of Hormuz encounter disruptions, causing industrial units in the state capital, particularly the Talkatora area, to feel the heat due to the supply of commercial LPG cylinders taking a hit. Adnan Danish, an entrepreneur in the Talkatora industrial area in the state capital, is among many businessmen facing the consequences of the war. The Talkatora industrial area l is the worst affected because it lacks a piped natural gas (PNG) pipeline. He sits idle in his office, Alpha Engineers, in Talkatora waiting for the delivery of commercial LPG cylinders. Tonnes of iron lie scattered across the sprawling premises of his fabrication unit. A week after the West Asia conflict began, the supply of LPG cylinders to his fabrication unit in Talkatora became few and far between. "LPG cylinders are the lifeline for any fabrication unit," says Danish. "For want of LPG cylinders, all work in my factory has come to a standstill. Three to four LPG cylinders per day are a prerequisite to keep my unit running. LPG cylinders are a must for cutting heavy iron," Danish says. Empty LPG cylinders are lying in the factory. As a result, ongoing work at his three sites in the city has also come to a standstill, he says. The Talkatora industrial area has 139 plots and 105 factories, 35% of which are part of the the fabrication industry. The LPG crisis following the war has affected all of them. Another sector affected by the LPG crisis is the bakery industry. Production is 40% down at Brijwasi Bakers in Talkatora, where a 40-member staff keeps the bakery running. Around 40-50 LPG cylinders daily are needed to keep the bakery running. However, supply has come down to 5-10 cylinders per day. The cost of commercial LPG cylinders has also gone up by Rs 195 each to approximately Rs 2200. Rajkumar Piplani, one of the owners of the bakery, is mulling over viable alternatives to LPG to cope with this unforeseen situation. "There seems to be no way out of the current crisis. We have tried a diesel-powered furnace, but this option is very costly. As against one kg of LPG, we need five litres of diesel for operating a diesel furnace," he says. "We have to be very careful while using a diesel furnace. Even on a minor issue, there is a high probability of the bakery product getting contaminated. A foul smell of diesel will come from the product," he adds. A wood-powered furnace is out of the question. "The building is designed in such a way that the wood -powered furnace cannot be used. A lot of smoke will be generated by wood or coal. Such furnaces can only be used in open spaces," he says. "There seems to be no way out of the present crisis. We can only wait and hope for the situation to normalise," he adds. The Gomti Bread unit in the Talkatora industrial area faces the same predicament. The Indian Industries Association (IIA), which operates from DIC Bhawan,Talkatora Industrial Estate, has been trying for a long time to get a PNG pipeline in the industrial area. "A PNG pipeline runs just outside the Talkatora industrial estate. We have been trying for a long time to get the PNG pipeline here also. Two months before the LPG crisis began, we took up the issue with the authorities to get the PNG connection but to no avail," says Piplani. Just 10 km from the Amausi industrial estate, the scene is altogether different in the Amausi industrial area, also known as the Nadarganj industrial area. Since there is a PNG pipeline connection here, there is no gas shortage. It is managed by UPSIDA and is a much bigger industrial estate than the Talkatora one. Surya Prakash Havelia, former chairman of IIA's Lucknow chapter, says there is no gas crisis in Amausi Industrial Estate due to the PNG pipeline. However, fabrication units and rolling mills are badly hit due to the LPG crisis. "In rolling mills and fabrication units, LPG cylinders are a must. The PNG pipeline lacks the required pressure which we only get from LPG cylinders. Cutting of iron in rolling mills and fabrication units is carried out with the help of LPG and oxygen cylinders," Havelia says. For the past 12 days, Havelia's factory has come to a standstill. He is not sure when the unit will start operating again. However, other industrial units which are not dependent on LPG cylinders are running smoothly in the Amausi Industrial Area. When contacted by HT, industrial development minister Nand Gopal Gupta 'Nandi' said the state government is aware of this issue and every possible effort is being made to resolve it. "Providing gas cylinders to domestic gas consumers is the government's top priority. Cylinders are being provided on a priority basis to commercial consumers along with domestic consumers. Work is being done by taking all stakeholders into confidence," he said. "As far as the PNG pipeline is concerned, Green Gas Company has already been instructed to expand its network between both domestic consumers and industrial estates," he added. Girija Shankar, managing director of Green Gas Lucknow, says Green Gas Limited is procuring raw materials to expand its network across state capital. "To facilitate this expansion, two committees have been formed-one at the state level and another at the district level in Lucknow. These committees will oversee the expansion of PNG infrastructure across the city, including industrial areas," he said Within the next three months, Green Gas will give connections to 25,000 consumers, he added....