No major shortage of domestic LPG, don’t panic: K’taka minister

SAllen tate solid food and civic supplies government minister KH Muniyappa on mon urged the public to refrain from panic or making unnecessary bookings, adding that there was currently no major supply shortage for household consumers.Speaking to reporters after attending a review meeting with senior officials and representatives of oil and gas companies at the Food and Civil Supplies Corporation office at Vasanth Nagar in Bengaluru, Muniyappa said, “They (domestic consumers) should not try to double their normal registrations unnecessarily. When the situation is serious, we must learn to limit our consumption.”He also urged hotels to temporarily adopt alternative cooking methods while the shortage persists. “Regarding the issue of hotels, it is a very important matter. Even earlier, I had said, and I am saying it even today, that electric stoves should be used. Hotel owners have the opportunity to use electric stoves,” he said.The minister said the shortage could continue for about a week and urged people to use LPG carefully during this period. He added that the Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has been informed about the situation and that steps are being taken to stabilise supply. “In this meeting, it was decided that essential services will receive 100% supply, and the companies have agreed,” he said.He expressed optimism that the situation could improve soon as additional shipments are expected. “If we manage this for one week, the movement has already improved considerably. More ships are expected to arrive, and through that we hope the situation will improve from next week,” he said, adding that the Centre has already held discussions with GAIL and that more LPG cargo ships are expected to arrive next week, which should gradually ease the supply situation.During the meeting, officials informed the minister that around 400,000 domestic LPG cylinders were supplied on Saturday, while approximately 9,000 commercial cylinders were distributed on Sunday. According to the department, the average daily supply of domestic cylinders stands at about 350,000.Domestic cylinders are typically required once every 25 to 30 days, officials said, but panic booking by consumers has led to a surge in demand in recent days.The review focused largely on the availability of commercial LPG cylinders, which are widely used by hotels, restaurants, canteens and auto rickshaws that run on LPG. Officials said commercial establishments, particularly hotels, could continue to face restricted supply if the shortage persists for another week.The government has decided to prioritise essential services in LPG distribution until the situation improves. Schools, hospitals, railway stations, bus stations, government offices, railway canteens and Indira Canteens are among the sectors being given priority.Officials said around a cumulative figure of 5,200 cylinders were being allocated to hospitals, educational institutions, railway canteens, Indira Canteens, the pharmaceutical industry, seed-processing units, fisheries and airlines. Another 2,500 cylinders are being set aside for LPG-powered auto rickshaws to ensure that drivers can continue operating.The hotel industry, however, is receiving a limited allocation of about 1,000 commercial cylinders per day as the government is unable to meet the full demand.Muniyappa said Karnataka normally requires about 44,000 commercial LPG cylinders each day. Due to the present supply constraints, only about 20% of that requirement, roughly 9,500 cylinders, is currently available.Of these, 4,200 cylinders are being set aside daily for essential services and another 4,200 for domestic consumption, which he said has not been reduced. Approximately 1,200 cylinders were also being supplied to government and public institutions such as airports, railways, bus stands, the Karnataka Milk Federation and Indira Canteens.Meanwhile, data released by the state food and civil supplies department suggests that supply has already begun to improve in recent days. Officials said the availability of LPG cylinders across the state increased by about 20% between Thursday and Saturday.During this period, 11,41,657 domestic LPG cylinders and 20,941 commercial cylinders were distributed.On March 12, authorities supplied 3,52,921 domestic cylinders and 5,058 commercial cylinders. On March 13, the figures rose to 3,86,363 domestic cylinders and 6,371 commercial cylinders. The increase continued on March 14, when 4,02,363 domestic cylinders and 9,512 commercial cylinders were delivered across the state.