Concerns over a cooking gas shortage gripped Delhi, with gas agencies reporting a surge in calls from worried customers and multiple requests for cylinders on Tuesday, hours after the central government activated the Essential Commodities Act to prioritize domestic supplies amid unrest caused by the widening conflict in West Asia. Track updates on the US conflict with Iran
While officials at retailers insisted there was no shortage of supply, they said customers had begun demanding delivery of cylinders on priority in what appeared to be a rush, even as the government tried to reassure consumers that sufficient LPG was available.
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A representative from Atul Enterprises at Janata Market near Jandewalan Temple in central Delhi said the system is not generating reservation slips due to the new 25-day rule. He said: “There are people who made reservations three or four days in advance, but we are unable to provide them with cylinders because of this rule.”
On Monday, the Federal Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas confirmed that it had imposed a minimum time period of 25 days between domestic LPG cylinder bookings, increasing the time interval from the previous 21 days, to prevent panic buying, hoarding and black marketing amid supply constraints caused by the ongoing conflict.
Meanwhile, some agencies in west Delhi reported that they had not received supplies on Tuesday. Avinash Pandey, a shop keeper at an agency in Kirti Nagar, said they usually receive 350 cylinders a day from a Haryana supplier but they did not get any on Tuesday. “We succeeded with what we had from Monday. We sold about 326 cylinders today but we don’t know what will happen,” he said.
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Businesses face greater uncertainty. A representative of Siddhartha Enterprises in Rajender Nagar said they have stopped supplying cylinders to commercial users following the directions. He added: “What we are seeing is a huge rise in bookings among customers. Even though the government said there will be no shortage, people want to make sure they have a spare cylinder.”
In Vikaspuri, gas agencies reported being bombarded with calls. “Restaurants know that we can no longer supply them with commercial cylinders, but they still inquire daily. Local consumers come and call us to try to get multiple cylinders but we tell them it is not possible,” said Gitanjali, Director, Indane Nairs Gas Service.
Harnoor Singh, director of Milind Gas Services, said they had heard of cylinders being sold at exorbitant prices on the black market – almost double the cost. A tea seller from New Friends Colony confirmed that prices had risen from $1100 L $2000.
Restaurant owners said that in areas like Connaught Place where piped gas is not available, the situation is getting tense with no additional supply of cylinders. “For most restaurants, it has become difficult to serve gas-guzzling items, especially with the use of charcoal not being allowed in tandoors,” said Varun Khera, owner of The Imperial Spice restaurant in CP.
