Gurdwara panel seeks steady LPG supply for langar

New Delhi: Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) has written to Hardeep Singh Puri, Union minister for petroleum and natural gas, seeking an uninterrupted supply of LPG cylinders to gurdwaras in the city, even as it asserted that langar services are currently running normally and shall not be affected by any future shortage.

The committee's president, Harmeet Singh Kalka, and general secretary, Jagdeep Singh Kahlon, wrote to Puri on Thursday that the langars — free community kitchens which serve devotees — depend heavily on a steady supply of LPG cylinders.


The committee noted that because of the LPG crunch, cylinder supplies have reportedly been disrupted, which can potentially affect the preparation and distribution of community meals at the gurdwaras managed by it.

"Keeping in view these facts, it is requested that the concerned govt departments may kindly be directed to ensure that the supply of gas cylinders to the city's historical gurdwaras is not affected and that their langar distribution continues uninterrupted," the letter stated.

The committee later clarified that there is currently no disruption in langar services, and that it had written the letter as a precautionary measure. In a statement, Kalka and Kahlon said this services would not be affected by any future shortage of gas cylinders.

They said the committee has always carried out langar service with the support of sangat (devotees) and that even during Covid-19, when much of the world had came to a standstill, langar services in Delhi gurdwaras continued uninterrupted.

"Not only langar, we carried out other humanitarian assistance, such as supplying oxygen cylinders to patients, during the pandemic," Kalka and Kahlon said, adding that if the services had not been affected during such a grave crisis, there was no question of them being disrupted now.

Bhupinder Singh, executive member of the committee, said there was no shortage of gas at gurdwaras at present, and most major ones in the capital operate on piped gas. "There is nothing to worry about. Only some smaller gurdwaras depend on cylinders," Singh told TOI.

He said the committee wrote the letter mainly to request govt that LPG cylinders be kept in reserve, as big festivals, including Fateh Diwas and Vaisakhi, are approaching. "Many devotees visit the gurdwaras during these festivals. We wanted to ensure that there is no disruption in langar services during this time," he said, adding that even if any difficulty arises, the committee will manage the situation. "Seva will continue under all circumstances," he said.