LPG shortage hits suburbs, delivery takes over 3 weeks

Chennai: Residents in the suburbs are facing delays in getting LPG cylinder refills, with many saying they have been waiting for more than 25 days. The shortage has disrupted life in Tambaram and Avadi Corporation areas, forcing many to rely on induction stoves or buy cylinders on the black market.As demand rises and supply remains tight, black-market prices for domestic LPG cylinders have surged. A cylinder that usually costs around 1,400 is now reportedly being sold illegally for 3,000 to 4,000, with some claiming the price has gone up to 5,000. Small eateries said they had no option but to buy cylinders at higher rates after running out of stock.K P Arumugam, 42, of Kamaraj Nagar, said he booked a cylinder 28 days ago but has yet to receive it. "When we call the delivery agents, their phones are switched off, or they promise delivery in a day or two, but nothing happens," he said. He added that the problem had persisted for more than two months. S Anbu, who runs an eatery in Camp Road, Tambaram, said the shortage had forced him to trim his menu. "We stopped serving breakfast. For lunch, we shifted from unlimited to limited meals ," he said. . "We booked a cylinder on April 20 and were told it would arrive in 15 days, but we still haven't received it," he added.The shortage has also pushed up living costs for lodgers. M Kishore, a techie living in a PG in Tambaram, said the rent for his triple-sharing room with food had increased from 12,000 to 15,000. He said nearby cloud kitchens were also charging more, with one idli costing 20 and food supply depending on gas availability.T Sadagopan, president of Tamil Nadu Progressive Consumer Welfare Association, said suburban areas were being given lower priority for LPG supply despite growing demand. "Earlier, distributors received three to four truckloads daily, but now only one load is arriving," he said. He also alleged that some delivery agents were forcing customers to share OTPs before delivery and selling domestic cylinders illegally at higher prices.Distributors acknowledged that supply had been affected in recent weeks. They said trucks were taking nearly an entire day to return from bottling plants. . One distributor in the suburbs said he was manually cancelling nearly 600 bookings a day because of supply shortages and pending e-KYC compliance.