The Center has increased Karnataka’s allocation for commercial LPG to 68%, even as the state government issued a set of standard operating procedures (SOP) for supply and distribution management, state Food and Civil Supplies Minister KH Muniyappa said on Sunday.
Under the new guidelines, all commercial establishments have been directed to register for pipelined natural gas connections within seven days to consider LPG allotment.
Speaking at a press conference at his Benjoro residence, the minister said the domestic supply of LPG meets about 40% of the demand and oil companies have been directed to ensure doorstep delivery.
“Consumers who have reserved the cylinders will receive them,” he added, adding that the general situation may improve in the coming days. He added: “The situation in the state is expected to improve significantly.”
The state currently has about 29,463 cylinders available per day, compared to the typical consumption of about 44,000 cylinders per day, officials said. The average monthly consumption during the past three months was about 25 thousand tons, while the current availability is 18,494 tons.
The standard operating procedures include a formal priority-based distribution system, which includes basic institutions (hospitals, educational institutions and hostels) at the first level, followed by government departments and public sector units, then hotels, restaurants, industrial canteens and food processing units, and finally labour-intensive and industrial sectors, along with agriculture and allied activities such as fisheries, poultry and sericulture at the fourth level.
According to the SOP, the first two priority groups will receive their full share, while supply to other sectors will be determined after these needs are met.
Munyappa also reiterated government guidelines advising people to turn to firewood as a temporary alternative
He said that rural families have already begun switching to wood-burning stoves, and noted that firewood is available 40 kilometers from the city. He advised using dry wood instead of cutting green wood from forests.
“Due to the shortage, people in villages can use firewood stoves. If you travel around 40 km outside Bengaluru, firewood is easily available. However, avoid cutting fresh trees and use only dry wood,” he said.
Shortages related to the Gulf War, which has been ongoing for more than a month, have affected families, hotels and industries.
Commercial LPG supplies were the hardest hit, forcing many restaurants and small food businesses to scale back operations or temporarily close, while residents lined up outside gas agencies to secure cylinders.
The authorities also intensified enforcement measures amid reports of violations. “We have received complaints about cylinders being sold at a higher price than the set price. Strict action will be taken, including cancellation of licences,” Munyappa said. Officials recorded 1,169 cases of illegal storage and confiscated 1,603 commercial cylinders.
District-level monitoring committees led by deputy commissioners were tasked with overseeing supply and pricing, with raids being conducted to curb black marketing.
“There have been complaints that some private gas distributors are selling LPG cylinders at prices higher than those notified by the government. A strict notice has been issued to all distributors to be strict in distributing cylinders at the prices fixed by the government,” he added.
Despite the wider shortage, LPG supplies for cars have not been affected. Karnataka has 72 LPG dispensing stations for cars, including 31 in Bengaluru, where public sector companies continue to supply fuel in $77.74.
