LPG booking glitches leave Bengaluru residents anxious

Bengaluru: Residents across several parts of Bengaluru reported difficulties in booking LPG cylinders Wednesday evening, with many saying both the customer care auto-refill system and online booking platforms were not functioning properly.

"We managed to book a cycliner Wednesday morning through the customer care auto-refill system. But since evening, I know many people who were unable to book gas and are asking around to see if anyone has a spare cylinder," said Anuradha Kamath, a resident of Uttarahalli.
"I tried booking through an app and the website several times, but the system isn't responding. It looks like the app crashed," said Madhura Shetty, a resident of Banashankari.

Priya Narayanan, a resident of JP Nagar, said several residents in her building were facing similar issues: "Normally, booking a refill online takes just a couple of minutes, but today (Wednesday) it simply isn't going through."

Some operators hike prices

Taking advantage of the situation, some private gas agency operators said prices surged due to high demand and limited availability. "I normally charge Rs 1,150 for a 12kg cylinder, but with demand shooting up, I am now charging about Rs 2,200. People are still willing to buy because it became a necessity now," said Vasanth S, a private gas agency operator from Fraser Town.

Seconding him, Manjunath, another private agency operator, said prices have almost doubled — from Rs 1,208 to Rs 2,115 — especially for new customers.