Gas refill dispatches nosedive 25% in Madhya Pradesh, curbs on commercial supply bite

INDORE: LPG cylinder dispatches across Madhya Pradesh fell about 25% pct on Thursday compared with average daily supplies, as oil marketing companies curtailed deliveries to commercial establishments amid disruptions in the global fuel supply chain following recent geopolitical tensions.Officials said the state has adequate fuel stocks, but temporary supply adjustments and panic bookings by consumers have put pressure on distribution systems. According to data from oil companies, about 2.75 lakh LPG cylinders were dispatched to consumers across MP on March 9, broadly in line with normal daily supply levels. However, dispatches on Thursday dropped significantly as commercial supplies to sectors such as hotels and restaurants were tightened.The sudden surge in bookings triggered technical issues across the booking network, with several distributors reporting server slowdowns and temporary crashes in many parts of the state.Distributors said the spike in demand forced several agencies to temporarily switch to manual booking systems to manage orders and ensure supply continuity.An official from an oil marketing company, requesting anonymity, said the state currently has adequate fuel stocks and supply routes remain operational.“We have adequate supplies and stocks of fuel in MP and have also assured the state government about availability. The state is centrally located and has access to supply routes from both the eastern and western coasts, which gives us a logistical advantage,” the official said.The official added that the pressure on booking systems was largely due to panic-driven demand rather than a shortage of LPG.“Servers are reporting unusually heavy loads due to panic booking by consumers,” the official said.The state has more than 1.76 crore LPG consumers. Of these, about 84.26 lakh are served by Indian Oil Corporation, around 44.15 lakh by BPCL and nearly 48.46 lakh by HPCL. The state has 11 operational LPG bottling plants, including five operated by Indian Oil, three by Bharat Petroleum and three by HP, which supply cylinders to distributors across MP.