Meerut/Agra/Prayagraj/Kanpur Amid concerns over the escalating conflict in West Asia, fears of imminent cooking gas shortage have triggered a huge wave of panic buying and booking across Uttar Pradesh, even as officials said on Wednesday that stocks are adequate as of now.
Gas agency operators said the government’s rule of allowing new LPG booking only after 25 days of the last refill has caused widespread panic. As a result, thousands of consumers attempted to book cylinders simultaneously, slowing down the company’s servers.
With online booking services temporarily disrupted, worried consumers have started visiting gas agencies in person. Confusion over domestic LPG availability has prompted many consumers to approach agencies to reactivate gas connections that have been dormant for years. According to agency operators, this unexpected demand has further increased the load on company servers, slowing the process of restoring those connections.
Panic over domestic LPG availability has spread in parts of Meerut after the implementation of the rule allowing consumers to book a new cylinder only after a gap of 25 days. The surge in bookings led to gas company servers crashing, long queues at gas agencies and complaints from residents about delays in cylinder delivery.
However, officials have denied any shortage of domestic LPG in the district and urged residents not to hoard cylinders.
Crowds have been reported at around 80 LPG agencies as consumers rush to make bookings. Many residents said that even after successfully booking the cylinder, they are facing delay in delivery. Anita, a housewife, said she is struggling to get her LPG cylinder despite completing the booking process.
Namoh Jain, president of Meerut Gas Dealers Association, dismissed concerns of any shortage. He said domestic LPG supply remains uninterrupted and adequate. According to him, panic among consumers is leading to unnecessary and repeated bookings, putting pressure on the system.
He said that due to the current global situation there has been increased fear among residents, even though the supply chain remains stable and the situation is under control.
District Magistrate VK Singh urged residents not to fall prey to rumors about LPG shortage. He said there was no shortage of domestic gas in the district and warned of strict action against anyone found indulging in black marketing or hoarding.
The DM said, “There is no shortage of gas anywhere. Consumers will continue to get LPG cylinders at the fixed price. Both gas agencies and the public will have to avoid unnecessary hoarding.”
However, there is an acute shortage of commercial LPG cylinders, forcing many hotels and restaurants to work under pressure as allegations of black marketing have emerged across the state.
Many hotel and restaurant operators in Prayagraj claim that commercial cylinders are being sold. ₹2,500- ₹Rs 2,600 in the open market.
A dhaba owner in George Town said he requested his gas agency’s delivery staff for a commercial cylinder on Tuesday morning. The worker reportedly said it could be arranged ₹2,500. “I needed it urgently for my business, so I agreed,” he said.
People trying to book domestic LPG cylinders in Sangam City are also facing delays. Sonam, a resident of Shivakuti, said that she is not able to book refill from her phone. When she visited a gas agency in Teliarganj, she was told that the next booking would be available only after 15 days.
Ruby Srivastava of Pritam Nagar had to face a similar problem. “My husband and I tried booking from our phones, but the call did not connect. When he visited the agency, he was told the supply was slow and refills would be available only after 10 days,” she said.
Similar complaints are coming from across the district. As news of the situation spread, crowds gathered outside several gas agencies to secure refills.
District Magistrate Manish Kumar Verma said, “There is no shortage of domestic gas in the district. Adequate stock is available as per demand and no citizen will face inconvenience. Monitoring teams have been formed to ensure strict action against black marketing.”
Harjinder Singh, president of Prayagraj Hotel and Restaurant Welfare Association, said the crisis has not yet seriously affected businesses, but problems may emerge soon.
“Commercial supplies have been stopped. Some people started selling cylinders after the news spread on Monday.” ₹2,500- ₹2,600. Some businesses have taken stock, but that will only last for two or three days,” he said.
To stop black marketing of LPG, petrol and diesel, the district administration has formed three monitoring teams. District Supply Officer Sunil Kumar Singh said that contact numbers of the teams have been issued so that people can report illegal selling/hoarding.
He urged citizens to book LPG refills only through the official smart booking app and avoid purchasing cylinders from unauthorized persons. He said that the next refill booking can be done only after 25 days.
There was panic buying of LPG in Kanpur also due to fear of supply disruption, while the district administration says that the supply of domestic gas is sufficient.
At a review meeting on Wednesday, District Magistrate Jitendra Pratap Singh said petroleum companies have assured the administration that the domestic LPG supply chain is functioning normally and adequate stock is available in the district.
According to officials, there are more than 11.44 lakh active LPG consumers in Kanpur, including 7.15 lakh connected to Indian Oil, 2.21 lakh to Bharat Petroleum and 2.07 lakh to Hindustan Petroleum, and cylinders are being supplied regularly.
However, rumors of shortages triggered panic booking at many gas agencies. People stood in line for hours to get cylinders at an outlet in Gujaini. A young woman waiting in the queue reportedly fainted, leading to a commotion among customers. Similar scenes were witnessed from Marble Market area of Kidwai Nagar where people gathered in large numbers to make bookings.
The uncertainty has also destabilized the city’s food and hospitality sector, which depends heavily on commercial LPG cylinders. Traders said the supply of commercial cylinders has slowed over the past two days, forcing restaurants and sweet shops to seek alternatives such as diesel and coal-fired furnaces.
According to trade bodies, Kanpur’s food sector includes more than 5,000 restaurants and sweet shops, around 200 hotels and around 1,500 guest houses, which handle almost daily business. ₹50 crores.
“With the wedding season and Navratri round the corner, the sudden disruption has put us in a difficult situation. Most establishments now operate modern kitchens built around gas systems. It is not easy to switch to coal or diesel in a short time,” said Rajkumar Bhagtani, general secretary of the Kanpur Guest House, Sweets and Restaurant Owners Association.
Vijay Pandit, president of the Hotel and Restaurant Association, said the industry is stuck without any preparation. “We respect the government’s decision, but such changes require time. At least two weeks should have been given to allow businesses to make alternative arrangements,” he said.
The Indian Industry Trade Delegation, led by its state president Gyanesh Mishra, also submitted a memorandum to the district administration, warning that prolonged disruption in commercial LPG supply could push thousands of food establishments towards closure.
However, officials reiterated that domestic LPG supplies remain stable and warned of strict action against black marketing.
In Varanasi, disruption in commercial gas supply has severely affected the corrugated packaging industry.
Rajesh Bhatia, president of UP Corrugated Box Manufacturers Association, Varanasi, said around 50 corrugated packaging units operating here, which fall under the micro and small scale industries category, are facing closure due to non-availability of gas.
He said that Varanasi’s packaging industry is not limited to the local market; Packaging boxes are supplied to various industries throughout Purvanchal and large parts of Bihar and Jharkhand.
Disruptions in commercial gas supplies have halted production, putting the jobs of hundreds of workers at risk. Disruption in the supply of packaging boxes is likely to impact the supply chains of pharmaceuticals, food, electronics, agricultural products and many other industries.
They demanded that the administration consider the packaging industry as an essential industrial activity and immediately restore the supply of commercial gas cylinders.
District Supply Officer KB Singh said that there is no shortage of domestic gas cylinders. Online booking and home delivery is available for the general public.
Additional District Magistrate (Civil Supplies) Amit Kumar Bhartiya said that uninterrupted domestic gas cylinder supply is being ensured and there is no crisis of LPG in the district.
As far as supply of commercial cylinders is concerned, the situation is being monitored, he said.
The three kitchens of Kashi Vishwanath Temple are working as usual. Temple administration officials said its Bhogshala (kitchen for preparing divine offerings) is also functioning normally.
Temple sub-divisional magistrate Shambhu Sharan confirmed this, saying, “All three kitchens are running normally. There is no shortage of cooking gas.”
Confusion over the new delivery rules and rumors of possible shortage of LPG remained rife in Bahraich as well.
District President of LPG Association Mohammad Ashfaq said that a major reason for this is the temporary interruption in the supply of commercial cylinders. As a result, many hotels and restaurants have been forced to either close operations or switch to domestic cylinders, leading to increased demand for domestic LPG cylinders.
Another major challenge, especially for rural consumers, is the mandatory OTP verification system introduced for cylinder delivery. Under the new rule, the delivery person will not deliver the cylinder until the consumer confirms the OTP sent to his registered mobile number. Ashfaq said many people in the villages either do not have mobile phones or change SIM cards frequently, or do not keep their numbers recharged, making it difficult for them to get OTP and get their cylinder.
District Supply Officer (DSO) Narendra Tiwari dismissed the possibility of any shortage of LPG. He clarified that there are 71 petroleum dealers in the district and none of them is facing supply crisis.
He acknowledged that there was some pressure on supplies due to the temporary stoppage of commercial cylinders, but said it was not a long-term issue.
Panic spread among consumers due to black marketing and hoarding of domestic LPG cylinders in Agra.
Shishir Bhagat, who runs a major food outlet, is worried as he has already closed one kitchen and has commercial gas only for a day. “We have stopped serving ‘thali’ for lunch and dinner and are running only fast food outlets for now,” he said.
ADM (Civil Supplies) AN Singh said there was no restriction on supply of commercial gas and complaints of shortage were being dealt with. He said that apart from the domestic sector, priority has been given to supply of commercial gas to hospitals, schools and jails.
Rajeev Saxena, president, Tourism Guild of Agra, said, “Due to the ongoing tensions in West Asia, difficult days are ahead as the stock available in hotels, restaurants is depleting. Star category hotels have boilers that run on gas and any shortage will affect them badly. Switching to induction plates in cooking will increase power consumption.”
Meanwhile, following a slight drop in the supply of LPG cylinders in Gorakhpur division, people were seen gathering outside gas agencies since morning.
District Magistrate Deepak Meena deployed nodal officers at the distribution centres, while police personnel were also deployed to maintain order.
According to officials, against the daily demand of around 30,000 LPG cylinders in Gorakhpur district, currently only 20,000 cylinders are being supplied through 85 gas agencies.
District Supply Officer Ramendra Pratap Singh said that there is no need to panic, officials are closely monitoring the supply situation. He said 23,000 cylinders were sent to the city on Wednesday to ease the shortage.
In Deoria, DSO Sanjay Pandey said the supply was temporarily affected due to Holi, which slowed down the delivery. However, he assured that all the 77 gas agencies in the district are currently functioning properly and the backlog will be cleared soon. (Input from Gorakhpur and Bahraich)
