Telangana seeks more commercial LPG cylinders amid severe supply shortfall
HYDERABAD: Irrigation and Civil Supplies Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy on March 14 said the Telangana government has asked the Centre for additional commercial LPG cylinders amid a sharp supply shortfall affecting businesses across the state.
Earlier in the day, the minister reviewed the LPG supply situation with representatives of the Telangana LPG Distributors Association at the Secretariat.
During the meeting, officials reported that commercial LPG supplies currently meet only about 20% of the demand. As a result, several major consumer segments have raised concerns.
Domestic LPG supply remains stable
However, Uttam Kumar Reddy said domestic LPG supplies continue to remain largely stable.
At present, distributors deliver around 2.15 lakh domestic cylinders every day through 8,010 distributors across Telangana.
Meanwhile, commercial LPG deliveries have dropped sharply. Suppliers now deliver only about 6,200 cylinders a day, whereas businesses usually require nearly 23,000 cylinders daily.
Overall, Telangana has about 1.3 crore domestic LPG consumers and an estimated 1.5 lakh to 7.5 lakh commercial users.
Global disruptions affecting supply
According to the minister, global supply disruptions and geopolitical tensions in West Asia have strained LPG supply chains.
Therefore, oil marketing companies currently prioritise domestic households and essential sectors.
These sectors include hospitals, schools, colleges, welfare institutions and government departments.
Restaurants and small businesses face difficulties
Consequently, hotels and restaurants across Hyderabad and other parts of the state now face operational difficulties.
Some establishments have reduced menu options. Others have temporarily closed outlets after their stocks ran out.
Moreover, the Hotels and Restaurants Association of Telangana has also raised complaints over the shortage.
Smaller businesses, in particular, have felt the impact more strongly.
Government begins round-the-clock monitoring
Meanwhile, the government has started round-the-clock monitoring of the LPG situation.
Officials now operate a command and control centre at Civil Supplies Bhavan to track supply levels.
In addition, authorities have activated a consumer helpline — 1800-428-00333 or 1967 — to assist consumers and distributors.
Minister warns against black marketing
At the same time, Uttam Kumar Reddy warned traders against black marketing of LPG cylinders.
He also cautioned businesses against using domestic cylinders for commercial purposes.
Earlier, panic overbooking of domestic cylinders briefly disrupted online booking portals. However, officials intervened quickly and restored the services.
Public urged to avoid panic buying
Meanwhile, the minister urged the public to avoid panic buying or overbooking LPG refills.
Instead, consumers should follow the prescribed waiting period while booking cylinders.
As a precaution, the state has also arranged around 1,740 kilolitres of kerosene as an alternative fuel supply.
Committees to review situation daily
Finally, the government has formed a state-level committee headed by the Chief Secretary to monitor the situation.
Similarly, district collectors will lead district-level committees and review LPG supply every day.
Uttam Kumar Reddy also assured LPG distributors that the government will support them in handling panic-driven demand and possible law-and-order issues.
