Empty LPG: Temper spills onto street as protesters block road

Bhopal: The daily struggle for cooking gas spilled onto the streets near Apsara Talkies on Wednesday, as residents openly vented their frustration by blocking the Raisen road with empty LPG cylinders. Police were called to disperse the crowd, but the protest reflected a deeper anger over repeated delays and shortages at the Indane agency on Raisen Road.Among those waiting was Ayush, a schoolboy perched on a red cylinder with his school bag, while his mother went to get some water and food. Around him, families sat with their empty cylinders, symbols of both their need and their protest. "I have been standing in line since 6 a.m. on Wednesday. On Tuesday, after waiting for hours, at 10 a.m. they put up a notice saying it was a holiday. They gave me a booking slip on Monday and told me to come the next day," said Suresh, a resident of Ashoka Garden.By noon, tempers flared when counters shut for lunch breaks that allegedly stretched nearly two hours. "Why are they taking bookings when they don't have a stock of cylinders?" asked a young man in his 20s. Another woman, clutching her token slip, said, "I had token number 45. The ones ahead of me got cylinders, but we were left waiting."The crisis has become more than an inconvenience—it is reshaping daily life. Families say they are forced to borrow stoves from neighbours or resort to firewood when gas is unavailable. For working mothers and elderly residents, the uncertainty of refills has turned routine cooking into a daily struggle.Geopolitical tensions in West Asia, have been affecting imports and transportation costs. Such factors are often cited as contributing to tighter availability and delays in distribution, which can eventually reflect at the retail level.Residents say blocking the road was a last resort to seek attention from the administration. "We are not here to create trouble. We are here because we have no choice left," one protester said.When contacted, the gas agency did not respond to queries about the shortage or the repeated delays.