LPG shortage: Government assures adequate stock, netizens share their ground reality

As Indian households using LPG cylinders live in fear of supply disruption, the government has assured citizens that there is ample stock. This situation is an outcome of the blockade at the Hormuz Strait, the usual route from where crude shipments transit to reach India. And now, as people have begun queuing up at centres for LPG cylinders, the government has said domestic supply will be “prioritised”.

This assurance is seemingly unable to calm the citizens, as they are reporting their own ground reality on social media. The Press Information Bureau of India (PIB) says, “Domestic LPG supply to households has been prioritised, so there is no shortage for household consumers.” Netizens have challenged the claims by sharing their experience.

Milind Vaidya, an X user, posted, “If this is the case, then why has Mayuresh HP Gas Agency (Wagholi, Pune) stopped delivering gas cylinders?" He claims to have booked the cylinder and has been waiting for 10 days for the delivery. Further adding that the centre has been making their customers visit godowns. "So are they trying to cause disruptions?” he added.

Just as the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas is using its X handle to share posts on the optimum use of resources. Tips on how to effectively use LPG cylinders for cooking have also been shared. Pressure cookers have been chosen as the best pick to save and conserve fuel.

To which consumers are responding with the woes, highlighting that the shortage is real and that deliveries are not being completed. The receipt of a user reflects February 28 as the date of booking.

From rumours to the new normal, the situation on ground is changing by the minute. Many are being forced to buy cylinders through the black market. Otherwise, costing less than Rs 900, the cylinder is now being sold at Rs 2,000, and the price is only increasing.