LPG Gas Cylinder Crisis in India Live Updates: Delhi govt mandates LPG supply to businesses only if they apply for PNG connection

In a bid to cut down on delivery delays and ease consumer frustration, oil marketing companies (OMC)s, led by Indian Oil Corporation, have begun redistributing domestic LPG bookings from slower distributors to more efficient ones, without requiring customers to switch their registered dealer, which officially was being called cylinder portability.

A senior IOC official told TOI internal assessments revealed wide variations in delivery timelines among distributors. "Some distributors take significantly longer than others. We've decided to dynamically reassign bookings so that customers receive cylinders faster," he said.

In Bengal, of 1,500-odd LPG distributors, 60-70 reportedly underperform. These distributors are being bypassed temporarily as bookings are routed to better-performing counterparts. "We are channelling bookings to efficient distributors for faster delivery," an OMC official said. "Users do not have to do anything — changes are being handled from our end. Our aim is to infuse efficiency into the system."

The move follows a surge in bookings between March 7 and March 11, when demand spiked sharply amid panic ordering. According to industry data, average daily bookings jumped from around 2.5 lakh to 5.9 lakh — more than double in days. The rush caused technical disruptions, with mobile apps of multiple OMCs, briefly crashing under heavy traffic.Distributors said the after effects of that surge were still being felt. "We are struggling to clear the backlog created during those days," said a distributor, associated with Bharat Petroleum's Bharat Gas. "With existing manpower, it takes nearly two to three days to clear a day's backlog. As a result, there is still a gap of six to seven days between booking and delivery."

A Delhi court recently denied anticipatory bail to an accused involved in the illegal procurement, transportation and black marketing of LPG cylinders, noting its adverse impact on “public distribution and safety”.

The order comes amid a deepening cooking gas crisis triggered by the conflict in West Asia.Additional Sessions Judge Vinod Kumar Gautam remarked that, “economic offences of this nature, committed in times of rising prices of essential commodities, strike at the very root of public welfare.”

The prosecution submitted before the court that the accused, Mukesh Kumar, from Jamia Nagar, was the key “conspirator and owner of the vehicle” used for transporting the cylinders. It further submitted that Kumar had not joined the investigation and had fled from the spot to evade apprehension and was using the “volatility in fuel prices and increased demand” to his advantage.

Hinting at a larger network, the prosecution argued that custodial interrogation was necessary to unearth the entire conspiracy. Opposing the bail plea, it pointed to the “serious economic and public safety implications” of the accused’s actions under section 7 of the Essential Commodities Act, adding, “such acts in times like this aggravate the gravity of the offence and directly affect the public.”

Lucknow's famous kebabs and biryanis are paying the price of the LPG crisis. With eateries in the Old City forced to return to traditional cooking methods such as coal, wood and diesel furnaces, the prices of famous food delicacies such as kebabs and biryanis have increased by 30-40%, much to the dismay of food connoisseurs.Owners, particularly in the old city, said irregular LPG availability has pushed them to switch to alternative fuels such as coal, firewood and diesel furnaces. They said these options are not only less efficient but also increase operational costs, leaving them with little choice but to raise menu prices. Faraz Ahmad, owner of a popular eatery, said prices of items such as kebabs and parathas were revised due to the higher cost of coal and additional labour required for traditional cooking methods.

The rhythmic clatter of spatulas and the hiss of high-pressure burners have fallen silent across the city as a debilitating shortage of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cripples its iconic dining culture.From high-street restaurants to the heritage "dhabas" (roadside eateries) of Railway Road, small business owners are being forced to abandon traditional menus and switch to primitive fuels to survive a crisis that has seen black-market prices for gas cylinders soar to Rs 4,000. The shortage is not just changing how food is cooked, but what is being served.At many establishments, the selection is now dictated by fuel efficiency rather than customer preference. "I have completely stopped making pizzas," said one eatery owner in Field Ganj. "A single oven would burn through a cylinder in 36 hours. I've shifted entirely to steaming momos — it's the only way to keep the pilot light on."

Despite the commercial LPG shortage that has disrupted kitchens across hotels and restaurants, Goa’s baking community met its annual production target of nearly one tonne of hot cross buns this Maundy Thursday.According to members of the state’s bakers’ association, which comprises roughly 500 bakers across Goa, the shortage of commercial LPG, unavailable for nearly two weeks, posed a hurdle. Unlike their rural counterparts, who could fall back on traditional firewood ovens, urban bakers had limited alternatives.“In villages, shifting to firewood is manageable, but in cities it becomes extremely difficult,” president of the association, Agapito Menezes, said. “So, we transitioned largely to diesel-based induction cookers or ovens run on electricity to keep production going.”This swift adaptation ensured that output remained unaffected. As in previous years, approximately 20 bags of hot cross buns, each weighing 50kg, were produced across Goa, amounting to about 1,000 kg in total.

Even as oil marketing companies (OMCs) have withdrawn the 10-litre cap on auto LPG refuelling across the city following an improvement in supply, commuters continue to face longer waiting times and higher fares, with auto operators scaling back services in response to rising fuel costs.The decision to remove the cap — introduced earlier to manage shortages — was expected to ease operations for auto drivers. "There is now no restriction on refuelling autos at LPG dispensing stations," an OMC official said, adding that supply conditions have stabilised across most parts of the city.However, the easing of supply has done little to immediately improve commuter experience. A fresh hike in auto fuel prices has led to a noticeable drop in the number of autos operating during non-peak hours. Even during office rush, availability has tightened as drivers adopt new operating strategies to offset rising costs."Most drivers are now unwilling to run unless they are sure of getting at least 50%-60% occupancy on their return trips," said an auto union representative. This has reduced the frequency of autos, particularly in off-peak hours, and led to longer queues at major stands.