LPG crisis sweeps the country, with queues forming to get cylinders refilled; even those with piped gas connections are facing difficulties.

Due to the US-Israel-Iran war, LPG is becoming scarce in several states across North India, including the capital Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and Haryana. A scramble has begun to refill gas cylinders. Long queues are being seen outside gas agencies in many cities, including Lucknow.

While domestic supply remains normal in many places, problems with commercial gas cylinders are increasing. This situation is also due to people anticipating and stockpiling gas cylinders. The limited supply of commercial LPG cylinders is causing difficulties in the operation of more than 50,000 restaurants, pubs, bars, and hotels in Delhi.

Ram Rasoi (Closed)

Due to a shortage of commercial gas cylinders in Ayodhya, the Ram Rasoi, which regularly operates until 3 pm on Tuesday, had to be closed at 2 pm. In many places, temples have resorted to cooking using wood and coal. According to PN Seth, Executive President of the All India LPG Distributor Federation (AILDF), this problem will only last for a few days.

The problem will be resolved as soon as supplies from Russia resume. Meanwhile, Sandeep Anand Goyal, President of the National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI), Delhi, said that the supply of commercial cylinders has stopped. Gas pressure in the PNG pipeline has also been reduced by 20 percent.

Cylinders Coming from Old Stock

The supply of commercial LPG cylinders has been affected in many districts of Haryana for the past two to three days. New consignments have not reached agencies in many districts. In many locations, agencies are providing limited cylinders from old stock. Demand is higher than usual these days due to weddings and social events. The supply of LPG cylinders has been affected in Punjab.

Gas agencies in many districts have stopped receiving commercial cylinder supplies. Hotel owners in Jalandhar say that if the cylinder supply is not restored, they will be forced to rely on commercial induction. Meanwhile, the supply of domestic gas cylinders in the state is also being affected.

Commercial LPG supplies have also been stopped in many cities in Madhya Pradesh. Domestic LPG bookings have also increased. Commercial LPG supplies have been suspended in Bhopal since Monday, and in Indore since today. There is currently no LPG shortage in Himachal Pradesh. Consumers here are being refilled after 25 days. However, commercial cylinder supplies have also been suspended.

Operations of 2,000 restaurants affected in Kolkata

Restaurants in Bengal, including Kolkata, are facing a shortage of LPG. Industry associations have warned that if fuel supplies do not return to normal soon, the situation will worsen. Piyush Kankaria, head of the Kolkata branch of the National Restaurants Association of India (NRAI), stated that there are approximately 5,000 restaurants in the city. Of these, approximately 40 percent, or approximately 2,000 restaurants, are experiencing immediate disruptions.

Black marketing has increased due to the reduced availability of LPG cylinders.

Gas companies in Jammu are denying any shortage. However, the reduced availability of commercial LPG cylinders at the grassroots level has led to black marketing. Commercial LPG cylinders have been in short supply in some areas since the recent price increase.

Supply of Commercial LPG cylinders is banned except for hospitals and educational institutions.

The Uttarakhand government has banned the supply of commercial cylinders to all commercial activities except hospitals and educational institutions in all districts. This has caused distress to most hotel, restaurant, dhaba, and banquet hall operators. Domestic consumers will now receive their second cylinder in 25 days instead of 21.