LPG Shortage News Today Updates: Oil ministry official says govt is making every effort to address cooking gas concerns

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu today assured people that the central and state governments will come to their rescue amid an ongoing cooking gas crisis in light of the Middle East conflict, PTI reported.

Addressing a village meeting at Surampalli in Krishna district, the chief minister noted that a sub-committee has been formed to regularly monitor the Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) availability issue.

"There is a problem with LPG supply, but there is no need to panic. The central and state (governments) will rescue you (people) completely," Naidu said.

Gujarat government has decided to provide new piped natural gas (PNG) connections to educational institutes, hotels, restaurants and socio-religious institutions in areas where city pipeline distribution network is available, if they apply for the facility, PTI reported.

The decision was taken today at a high-level meeting chaired by CM Bhupendra Patel which reviewed status of PNG and petroleum products amid the West Asia war, which has severely disrupted global energy supplies.

Owners of small eateries in Shimla's Lakkar Bazaar told PTI that they are feeling the impact of “irregular” LPG supply, and some had to shut shop.

Dhaba owner Lokinder, who rents a shop in the marketplace told the agency that he had to down shutters. "I have sent the workers home. If the situation doesn't improve soon, paying rent will be an issue," he shared.

“While there is no shortage of domestic LPG cylinders in the state, commercial consumers are facing a problem. The available stock with the dealers is being prioritised for the essential sectors, such as hospitals and educational institutions, both government and private,” Mohammad Amid, divisional sales head at the Indian Oil Corporation, said.

A Food supplies department team has recovered 57 cylinders stocked illegally at a gas agency in Pune's Pimpri Chinchwad area, an official told PTI today.

“We found 57 domestic LPG cylinders stocked in the godown without permission. The process to charge the gas agency under Maharashtra Essential Services Maintenance Act has begun,” the official stated.

He added that the action at Bopodi was conducted as per directions from the district collectorate and was based on a complaint.

Delhi government is closely monitoring LPG stock and distribution and is carrying out enforcement drives to prevent malpractice with gas and other petroleum products, it said in a statement today.

As per a PTI report, the Food, Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department statement said there is no disruption in fuel availability in the city and warned that hoarding or black marketing of fuel is illegal and will invite strict action.

It urged residents to use digital booking options offered by oil marketing companies, including official portals, SMS, IVRS, missed-call services and WhatsApp platforms, and avoid unnecessary visits to gas agency offices.

Karnataka Food and Civil Supplies Minister KH Muniyappa told the state Legislative Council today that supplying commercial cylinders to hotels or restaurants will be difficult for about 7-10 days because there is no stock, PTI reported.

He said that after meeting with oil companies and department officials, it has been determined that commercial gas will be supplied for essential places like hospitals, hostels, residential schools.

“For now, there is a supply issue. By and large, the situation will improve and supplies will smoothen after one week. It will be difficult to supply commercial cylinders to hotels for about a week or ten days as there is no stock. If there is stock, 20-25 per cent can be supplied. Companies have assured that whatever is there in stock will be supplied to essential services, and they are supplying,” Muniyappa said.

People lined up in snaking queues outside distribution outlets across India today as the LPG shortage continued and reports of hoarding made rounds, as per 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.

Arunachal Pradesh minister Gabriel Denang Wangsu today assured that the state has ‘normal’ supply and availability of LPG cylinders and petroleum products in the state, PTI reported. He also urged people to avoid panic buying that could lead to artificial shortages.

In a social media post, Wangsu said the government is closely monitoring the distribution of LPG and petroleum, oil and lubricants (POL) products across all districts to ensure uninterrupted availability.

“The state food & civil supplies department and the oil marketing companies assure that the supplies of LPG and POL products are operating normally and their distributions are being constantly monitored to ensure continuous availability,” he wrote.

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.

It 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 CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu today said there is no shortage of LPG and dismissed reports about the hoarding of gas cylinders in the state, PTI reported, 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.

“Petrol and diesel are available in adequate quantities at all petrol pumps... Regarding LPG, I would like to state that this remains a matter of concern for us,” Sujata Sharma, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas stated.

“Nevertheless, despite this situation, no dry out has been reported at any of our 25,000 distributors. I would like to appeal to all fellow citizens not to give credence to rumors and to refrain from engaging in panic buying,” she added.

The government said on Friday that uninterrupted LPG supply to households has been ensured, and there is no need for panic booking for cylinders, PTI reported.

Briefing the media, Sujata Sharma, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, said the domestic production of LPG has already increased by 30% since March 5.

"There is no need for panic booking, and there has been no dry out at any LPG dealer," Sharma added.

Opposition parties on Friday urged the Centre to take immediate steps to address the alleged shortage of LPG cylinders in several parts of the country, PTI reported.

The pleas comes even as the ruling alliance leaders backed PM Narendra Modi and accused the opposition of misleading the public over the issue.

Earlier in the day, Modi hit out at those "creating panic" over the LPG situation and asked state governments to enhance monitoring to prevent black-marketing and hoarding of cylinders.

Congress MLAs Nana Patole and Vijay Wadettiwar on Friday staged a protest at the Maharashtra legislature, alleging a shortage of domestic LPG and demanding immediate intervention by the government.

Wadettiwar, who is also the Congress legislature party leader in the assembly, claimed that people across the state were facing harship due to a "shortage" of LPG cylinders amid the US-Iran conflict.

While the government claims there is no shortage of LPG, the reality is that people are standing in long queues for cylinders and several hotels have shut down operations, he was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

Union minister Giriraj Singh took a jab at Rahul Gandhi on Friday, accusing the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha of spreading confusion and misinformation about LPG availability in India, news agency PTI reported.

Just a day back, Gandhi alleged that India's energy security had been "compromised" due to a "flawed" foreign policy and that the government had "bartered" to the United States the right to determine relationships with different oil suppliers.

Raising the issue in the Lok Sabha, Gandhi said the war between the US and Israel, and Iran is going to have far-reaching consequences.

Commenting on Gandhi's pointed remarks, Giriraj said, "Abusing the country is the only thing Gandhi knows. When Covid hit the country, he spread confusion and misinformation across the nation."

Nepal has started selling half-filled LPG gas cylinder, aimed at preventing hoarding and panic buying, AFP reported citing an official announcement.

The landlocked Himalayan country relies almost entirely on India for its fossil fuel needs.

As gas supplies tighten, New Delhi has prioritised households, transport, and other essential sectors such as hospitals. Nepal, however, said that it still has sufficient LPG stock but has reduced cylinder volumes to stretch the available supply, the agency reported.

Hyderabad has been hit by the shortage of commercial LPG cylinders. As a result, tiffin centres across the city are increasingly turning to electric stoves to prepare their dishes and maintain their daily operations.

Highlighting the severity of the situation, Raj Kumar, a chef at Devi Nashta Point, told news agency ANI that there is an acute shortage of LPG in the city.

He claimed that even at inflated rates of 3,000-4,000 rupees, cylinders remain unavailable. Consequently, the eatery is utilising electric stoves to maintain daily operations; however, Kumar noted that even finding a stove has now become a challenge in the city.

The price of domestic and commercial LPG cylinders in India have been increased last week, as as oil marketing companies (OMCs) factor in disruptions in liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) supply, caused by the ongoing conflict between United States, Israel, and Iran.

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.

Both domestic and commercial LPG cylinders in India have become costlier amid supply disruptions. The revision has affected households and businesses that rely on cooking gas for daily operations.

The price of a 14.2 kg domestic cooking gas cylinder was raised by ₹60 around a week back, while the 19 kg commercial cylinder has become pricier by ₹144 across major cities and states of the country.

Bombay High Court's Nagpur bench on Thursday issued notice to the Union government and Confidence Petroleum India Ltd (CPIL) on a plea by six Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) dealers, who have alleged that exports are being prioritised over domestic supply amid acute shortage of cooking gas, according to Bar and Bench.

Till the petition is finally decided, the bench has directed CPIL to ensure that storage and supply of LPG for domestic consumption are in line with the Central government’s prevailing policy.

The petition will be next heard on March 17.

Customers can conveniently book LPG refills from home through:

— WhatsApp booking

— SMS/IVRS Booking

— Respective OMC mobile apps

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Thursday urged citizens of the state not to "panic" as the ongoing LPG shortage caused by the West Asia conflict created panic among households.

In a post on X, Stalin said that he had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the relevant Union Ministers regarding the LPS shortage issue.

He further added that the state government also held a consultation meeting on Thursday under the leadership of R Sakkarapani to discuss strategies for addressing the problem.

"Due to the West Asian war situation, to address the crises that have currently arisen, in addition to holding a high-level consultation two days ago, I have written a letter to the Honorable Prime Minister and the relevant Union Ministers regarding the shortage of cooking gas cylinders, as well as the supply of petroleum products including petrol and diesel. Under the leadership of Minister of Food and Consumer Affairs, R Sakkarapani a consultation meeting was also held yesterday on addressing the gas shortage," Stalin's X post read.

Haryana Minister of State for Food and Civil Supplies Rajesh Nagar on Thursday asserted that the supply of petroleum products, including domestic LPG, in the state remains completely normal.

He further warned that strict action will be taken against those who spread rumours, and indulge in black marketing.

Though there is a temporary disruption in supply of commercial cylinders due to the “global conditions”, the situation will be resolved soon, the minister said.

(Inputs from PTI)

The Maharashtra government has set up control rooms and district-level panels to ensure uninterrupted supply of LPG amid the West Asia crisis.

The state government also asserted that there is no shortage of fuel for domestic consumers, according to PTI.

An official release issued on Thursday said Anil Diggikar, Additional Chief Secretary of the Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection Department, has directed authorities to take necessary steps to maintain smooth supply and closely monitor LPG distribution across the state.

Authorities have seized 38 domestic cooking gas cylinders during raids conducted over two days in Madhya Pradesh's Chhatarpur district in the Bundelkhand region bordering Uttar Pradesh, officials told news agency PTI.

The raids came amid reports of a shortage of cooking gas cylinders following the conflict in West Asia, which has disrupted global energy supplies, they said on Thursday.