Restaurants, bakeries, cool bars and roadside eateries across Malappuram district in Kerala remained shut from Wednesday morning, responding to a strike call by the Kerala Hotel and Restaurant Association (KHRA) against the repeated increases in commercial cooking gas prices.

No establishments were functioning in key towns, including Tirur, Kottakkal, Malappuram, Kondotty, Manjeri, Nilambur, Wandoor and Perinthalmanna.

The shutdown left travellers arriving from distant places and daily commuters struggling to find food and water, with many caught off guard by the sudden disruption.

The protest targets the decision of the oil companies to increase the price of commercial LPG cylinders by ₹1,000 in a single revision. With the latest increase, the price of a 19-kg commercial cylinder in the State has crossed ₹3,000. Over the past five months alone, the cumulative hike has reached ₹1,498 per cylinder.

“The unilateral ₹1,000 increase is unprecedented in India and wholly unjustifiable. It will further strain an industry already grappling with severe challenges since COVID-19,” said P.P. Abdurahman, KHRA State vice-president.

He alleged that oil companies shifted the burden onto the restaurant sector to avoid public backlash that would follow a hike in domestic LPG prices, which account for 85% of total consumption in the country. “This is anti-people and cruel,” he said.

“If such price increases continue, hotels and restaurants will have no option but to raise food prices by 50% to 60% to stay afloat,” he said.

As part of the agitation, protest marches and sit-in demonstrations are being held in front of the Civil Station in Malappuram and offices of oil companies.

Mr. Abdurahman warned that the association would intensify its agitation, potentially escalating to stronger measures, if the Central and State governments fail to intervene and roll back the increase.