The canteen at the Sports Authority of India headquarters has suspended operations after the vendor complained of shortage of LPG supply, although a well-placed source said it was related to “the high prices he is quoting.”

According to a reputed source, the canteen at the SAI complex inside the huge Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium has been closed for about a month.

“Initially the vendor said he would serve only tea due to shortage of LPG, but now that too has stopped. Employees who depend on the canteen are currently making do with their meals at nearby outlets,” the source said.

However, the suspension of canteen operations will not affect the athletes training at the stadium, as they have their meals in the stadium mess, which remains fully functional.

SAI canteens at its National Centers of Excellence across the country are also functioning normally and no shortage of LPG has been reported so far.

It is learned that the vendor has taken charge of the canteen only a few months ago.

Another SAI source said, “The prices being quoted by this vendor were also quite high and he didn’t really have any explanation as to why he was charging so much. So he complained about being interrogated.”

“At big meetings of the minister and the SAI director general, the canteen serves tea and snacks like dhokla, some cashew nuts and a sweet. He was charging Rs 425 per plate for this.

“When the DG (Hari Ranjan Rao) came to know about it, he put a stop to the whole thing and raised questions on these prices,” the source said.

The LPG crisis has arisen due to the ongoing military conflict in West Asia, which was triggered by the US and Israel bombing of Iran. The war affected the supply chain in India, which is heavily dependent on imports for its LPG requirements.

There are reports coming from many parts of the country in which commercial establishments and individual consumers have complained of shortage of LPG.

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