Opposition parties on Tuesday intensified their attack on the government as several restaurant bodies in India reported a shortage of LPG cylinders amid concerns over fuel supply due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
These criticisms came even as the government invoked the Essential Commodities Act (EC Act) to ensure uninterrupted supply of domestic cooking gas, directing refineries and petrochemical units to maximize LPG production and divert key hydrocarbon streams to the LPG complex.
Under the order, natural gas supplies to certain sectors will be treated as a priority allocation and will be maintained, subject to operational availability, at 100 percent of average gas consumption over the past six months.
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Congress, Shiv Sena criticizes government over LPG
However, opposition leaders criticized the government over the reported shortage of LPG cylinders and the rule requiring consumers in cities to wait 25 days before reserving another cylinder.
Congress MP Pramod Tiwari on Tuesday said the Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas is “fully responsible” for the LPG shortage faced by Indians for their daily cooking needs amid the ongoing conflict in West Asia.
“First, this government is increasing the prices of commercial and domestic LPG. The war has been going on for nine-ten days, and there is a shortage of gas. Besides, there are instructions not to reserve domestic gas before 25 days in cities. For this shortage, the Petroleum Ministry of the Government of India is entirely responsible,” Tiwari told ANI outside Parliament.
Read also | Rising crude oil prices trigger LPG panic in India; After the rules are adjusted, people gather at outlets as the West Asian war has a global impact
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi also criticized the government, alleging that despite its claims of preparedness, people are now facing shortages.
She added: “In peacetime: We are prepared for all kinds of unrest. In wartime: Sorry, we can’t help. The thing we talked about was just empty talk. Trump was making enough noise about Iran, and the prime minister visited Israel two days before the war, and yet we have an Israeli government that once again appears to be unprepared and ostentatious.”
‘Misleading’: SP MP on fuel availability
Samajwadi Party MP Ram Gopal Yadav on Sunday alleged that the government is “misleading” the public about fuel availability amid disruptions in maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz as the Middle East conflict enters its second week.
“There is a shortage in the whole world, but our government is misleading the public by saying that there are sufficient stocks of LPG, petrol and diesel. 80% of the crude oil entering India comes from the Strait of Hormuz which is now closed. Due to the wrong policies of the government, the country is facing a loss,” he said.
Samajwadi Party MP Awadhesh Prasad warned that the shortage could push inflation higher and worsen the economic situation.
“Their committee (the three-member committee to study supply issues) will not be able to prevent this. It will increase day by day, the shortage of LPG cylinders will affect our economy, inflation will rise badly, and the government will be helpless. They are unable to do anything,” he said.
“Long queues can be seen”: Mahua Maji comments
Jharkhand Mukti Morcha MP Mahua Majhi also claimed that the fuel and LPG crisis is worsening in Ranchi, with long queues reported at petrol pumps and LPG outlets.
“Long queues can be seen to get LPG and petrol in Ranchi, and the public is upset, thinking about what will happen in the future,” Majhi told ANI, adding that despite the government’s assurances of adequate stocks, “there is no guarantee when the conflict will stop. The government must clarify its foreign policy.”
Hotel associations on LPG
Commercial LPG supplies to restaurants in both cities have been severely disrupted, hotel associations in Chennai and Bengaluru said on Monday, warning that many establishments may have to shut down operations.
The Bengaluru Authority said hotels may close from Tuesday if supplies are not resumed, adding that the disruption will affect the general public, students and medical professionals who depend on it for their daily meals.
The Chennai Hotels Association also said that commercial distributors of LPG have stopped supplying cylinders due to stock shortage, which may impact restaurant operations, banquet bookings and food supplies to IT parks and college hostels, and sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s intervention.
