NEW DELHI: Even as the government assured on Friday that there is no shortage of petrol, diesel, or cooking gas in the country and urged people not to panic, as ample supplies are available and distribution is proceeding normally, people continued to face hardships and queued up at gas agencies across several cities, towns and rural areas to get LPG refills.
In a press briefing, Sujata Sharma, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, said, “To meet the increasing demand for LPG, production of LPG in the country has been increased by 30 per cent, and its supply to households is given top priority.”
She further said, “Our refining system is running at full capacity, and we have ample supplies of petroleum products in stock. All our refineries are running normally, and no shortage of petroleum products has been reported from anywhere in the country.”
“Supply of domestic LPG for households, hospitals, and educational institutions is given top priority. Commercial LPG cylinders are made available at the disposal of state governments, who can then distribute these as per their requirement.” She added, “In addition, an extra allocation of 48,000 kiloliters of kerosene oil has been made. States have been asked to identify places where it may be distributed if needed.”
However, the country continues to grapple with the LPG crisis and reports of people making a beeline for getting a refill for their cylinder poured in.
A report quoting local police from Punjab said that a 66-year-old man collapsed and died on Friday morning while queuing for a domestic gas cylinder in Barnala district. The incident took place in the district’s Sehna village amid reports of a shortage of cooking gas due to the ongoing conflict in West Asia.
The deceased, Bhushan Kumar Mittal, was a resident of Sehna and had arrived at the gas agency at 7:15 am to secure a spot in the queue. Sehna station house officer (SHO) Renu said that Mittal collapsed at approximately 8 a m, just minutes before the agency was scheduled to open. Many in the queue had reportedly been waiting since 6 am. Police said that Mittal was 25th in a line that had swelled to over 130 people by the time of the incident.
A shortage of commercial Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) cylinders has begun affecting hotels, restaurants, small eateries, boarding schools, and colleges across several towns in Uttarakhand, raising concerns ahead of the tourist and wedding season.
In Mussoorie, several hotels are already facing a crisis due to the limited availability of commercial LPG cylinders. Mussoorie Hotel Association president Sanjay Agarwal said they submitted a memorandum through the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM)’s office to the chief secretary, chief minister, and cabinet minister Ganesh Joshi, highlighting the disruption.
Many hotels have stopped serving food items that require higher LPG consumption and may have to shut their kitchens if the situation persists, association secretary Ajay Bhargava said, adding that families who had booked hotels for weddings are also facing difficulties.
Besides hotels, boarding schools are also affected due to the shortage of commercial LPG cylinders. The administrator of Mussoorie’s Guru Nanak Fifth Centenary Day Boarding School, Sunil Bakshi, said the institution, which serves food to more than 250 students, is struggling to maintain kitchen operations.
Domestic consumers are also facing difficulties. Rajendra Semwal, a resident of Camel’s Back Road in Mussoorie, said the missed-call booking system for LPG cylinders was not functioning, forcing households to use charcoal stoves and induction cooktops.
At the press conference, the senior Petroleum and Natural Gas ministry official said: “More than 50 lakh LPG cylinders are being distributed daily through more than 25,000 distributors, and more than one lakh petrol pumps are running normally across the country.”
Domestic PNG connections and CNG for transportation are being provided in full, while supplies in some industries have been curtailed for household consumption.
Sujata Sharma added that in recent days, bookings for LPG have increased as people are doing panic buying. However, she maintained that supplies were going on normally.
In an appeal to people, Sharma said, “We urge people not to rush for refills. Most people are able to book their cylinders online through mobile apps, IVRS, SMS, and WhatsApp. There is no need for people to queue up.”
As India grapples with a persistent LPG supply crisis, reports of cooking gas cylinder thefts have emerged from Bengaluru. At least two separate instances of cylinder pilferage from residential neighbourhoods have been confirmed in Karnataka’s capital city.
A video posted by the PTI on X showed a man arriving at a residential street on a motorbike and subsequently fleeing with a cylinder concealed within a sack. This particular theft occurred in the Kalyan Nagar district of Bengaluru.
India is in its fourth consecutive day of LPG shortages, with disruptions being reported across major cities of the country, including Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Kolkata, and Chennai.
The US-Israel attacks on Iran and Tehran’s retaliation have led to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a key sea route through which India gets 85-90% of its LPG imports from West Asian nations, including Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
On the procurement front, India has been steadily reducing its dependence on the Strait of Hormuz. Roughly 70% of crude oil imports now arrive via alternative routes, up from 55% previously — a shift that offers some buffer against regional disruptions.
Amid the shortage, many restaurants are prioritising serving vegetarian dishes to customers, which generally require shorter cooking times.
People lined up in snaking queues outside distribution outlets across India today as the LPG shortage continued and reports of hoarding made rounds, according to a PTI report.
Long queues were seen at various gas centres in Patna, Bhagalpur, Rohtas, Katihar and other districts of Bihar despite the district administrations claiming there was no shortage of domestic gas cylinders.
Amid LPG supply shortage, hotels and restaurants in Madhya Pradesh are turning to the traditional ‘tandoor’ and electric appliances to sustain their businesses, PTI reported.
In its advisory, the Madhya Pradesh Hotel Association (MPHA) asked members to ditch gas for traditional wood-fired ‘tandoors’ and switch to ‘crisis menus’ to keep their businesses afloat. It has also asked eateries to prioritise dishes that require lower gas usage or shorter cooking cycles.
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said there is no shortage of LPG and dismissed reports about the hoarding of gas cylinders in the state, PTI said adding that he cautioned the public against fake news. Sukhu added that the Centre has assured there will be no shortage of gas supplies in Himachal Pradesh.