LPG Shortage News LIVE: No disruption in LPG supply to Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams kitchens, says official

The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) on Thursday said that there is no disruption in the supply of cooking gas to its 'laddu' and Annadanam kitchens. The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams administers the world-famous Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple in Tirumala.

While the disruption in the supply of LPG cylinders amid the West Asia crisis has led to a shortage for commercial and industrial consumers in Himachal Pradesh, Indian Oil Corporation officials on Thursday said the domestic supply remains unaffected. According to the officials, commercial cylinders are being supplied to hospitals and educational institutions from the dealers' available stock.

The Congress party held a protest in Nagpur against rising gas cylinder prices. Party workers staged a demonstration in front of the District Magistrate's office, cooking on a symbolic wood stove and holding a cylinder to highlight the issue. The Congress stated that during the UPA government, a cylinder cost Rs 400, whereas prices have now exceeded Rs 900. They also noted that the waiting period for gas cylinders has increased from 15 days to 30 days, intensifying the difficulties faced by citizens.

BRS Working President KT Rama Rao has written to the Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Hardeep Singh Puri, urging immediate intervention to address the "severe shortage" of commercial and domestic LPG cylinders.

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Thursday said the government will take up the issue of LPG shortage in the Cabinet meeting, while urging the Centre to immediately address supply disruptions that are affecting households and farmers.

People in Karnal are facing difficulties due to a gas shortage, as supplies have not yet reached many gas agencies. As a result, several people who came yesterday were unable to get gas cylinders. Speaking to India TV, residents said that even after returning today, they still had not received a cylinder. Many people are leaving their work and standing in long queues, which is adding to their problems. 

Local residents queue up at a gas agency amid a reported LPG shortage in Pune, Maharashtra.

Long queues of auto-rickshaws outside LPG dispensing stations and domestic consumers at local gas agency offices were seen on Thursday in Kolkata and several districts of West Bengal. Drivers complained that auto LPG prices have risen by about Rs 5 per kg in Kolkata, but said the uncertainty over its availability posed a bigger concern. Several drivers said they were forced to remain idle for hours or curtail trips as refuelling took longer than usual.

Earlier, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had directed oil marketing companies to restore booking servers immediately and prioritise supply to households whose cylinders have run out or are about to. The state government has also asked companies to ensure uninterrupted supply to hospitals, ICDS centres, mid-day meal kitchens, hostels and small restaurants, and suggested continuing partial supply where full delivery is not possible.

Conversations with bhatti (furnace) shop owners and customers buying bhattis have highlighted the growing demand for alternatives to LPG. In the Mawaiya area of Lucknow, where bhattis are manufactured, hotel and shop owners are now turning to these furnaces as an alternative to LPG. Demand has increased so sharply in recent days that it has become difficult to balance supply. Earlier, shopkeepers said that not even a single Bhatti would be sold in an entire day, but now they have orders for 300 to 400 Bhattis, which they are unable to fulfil. 

The impact of LPG gas shortage is no longer limited to hotels and restaurants and is now clearly visible in government office canteens as well. The canteen at the headquarters of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), considered the largest and richest municipal corporation in India and Asia, has also been hit by the crisis. According to the canteen management, they now have a very limited stock of commercial gas and are somehow managing operations for today, but there is no assurance for tomorrow.

Hundreds of employees visit the BMC headquarters canteen daily for breakfast, lunch and evening snacks, while many citizens who come to the office for their work also eat there. As a result, the gas shortage has created a serious challenge for the canteen's operations. Canteen manager Sachin Khot said that only today's gas stock is currently left, and there is no certainty about tomorrow. Due to the shortage, electric induction stoves are now being used in the canteen so that food arrangements can continue.

(Reported by Sachin Chaudhary)

Chole Bhature is disappearing from plates across Delhi as street vendors put up posters declaring that the dish will no longer be available due to gas shortages. A famous Chole Bhature shop in Connaught Place has also displayed a notice explaining that gas cylinders are unavailable, making it impossible to prepare the dish.

Cloud kitchens in Kolkata have been forced to scale down operations due to a shortage of commercial gas. A popular cloud kitchen in the Tangra area has furloughed most of its staff, is taking only limited orders, and is cancelling party orders. For the past few days, food outlets have been grappling with gas shortages, and this cloud kitchen is now on the verge of closing. The restaurant reports that its tandoor, a popular item, has stopped working because tandoors consume a large amount of gas. Preparations for many other food items have also halted.

Frustrated by the unavailability of gas cylinders, some PG owners are using wood stoves in excess of the GBA limit. In places where wood or charcoal cannot be used, 22-litre electric cookers and coil stoves are being used as alternatives. PG owners have ordered more than 200 such cookers to ensure that students and working professionals living in PGs continue to get food. Inputs have been collected from two PGs in Marathahalli, Bengaluru, where alternative arrangements are being used instead of cylinders. Cooking is now being done with electric cookers while gas stoves remain unused, and conversations with PG owners and residents highlight the situation.

Amid a shortage of LPG cylinders in the country due to the widening conflict in West Asia, the district magistrate of Gautam Buddh Nagar, Medha Roopam, on Wednesday directed officials to take strict action against black marketing and hoarding of gas cylinders, asserting that sufficient stock is available in the district.

Chole Bhature has begun disappearing from plates in Delhi as the gas shortage continues to affect food businesses. Street vendors have put up posters announcing that Chole Bhature will no longer be available due to the lack of gas cylinders. A famous Chole Bhature shop in Connaught Place has also displayed a similar notice, stating that the dish cannot be prepared because gas cylinders are not available.

Union Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Suresh Gopi on Thursday said that efforts are underway to bring the LPG crisis under control and that avenues are opening for India to secure additional supply.

After commercial cylinders, there is now a shortage of domestic LPG cylinders in Jaipur. People are arriving at the cylinder supply vehicle carrying their empty cylinders. Residents say bookings are not going through, either online or over the phone. “What can we do? We have two cylinders. One is already finished, and the other is about to run out, but we are unable to book a new cylinder,” people said.

(Reported by Manish Bhattacharya)

More than 800 hotels and restaurants in Thane city are staring at a potential shutdown as commercial LPG supplies dwindled due to supply chain disruptions amid a widening military conflict in West Asia, according to representatives of the industry association.

The effects of the ongoing war between Iran, Israel, and the United States are now being felt locally. The Borosil Company, which employs approximately 3,000 workers in Govindgarh town in the district of Jaipur, Rajasthan, and surrounding villages, disrupted production due to a shortage of LPG gas supplies.