Panic booking disrupts LPG supply in city

Lokmat News Network

Raj Patil

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar

Families seeking new gas books or additional connections to stock cylinders sparked panic buying, with nearly 100 people queuing outside agencies.

Panic buying triggered by tensions involving Iran, the America and Gulf countries has begun affecting LPG distribution in the city. Long queues were seen outside gas agencies on Wednesday as residents rushed to secure cylinders fearing a disruption. Online booking systems of three major distributors are receiving around 3,600 bookings daily, almost double the normal volume, forcing temporary suspension of phone-based booking services. Officials said industrial LPG supply has been halted while domestic supply is being prioritised. The supply chain remains operational and stock for the next three to four days is available. Petrol and diesel reserves are also stable at around 48–50 per cent. “Due to a sudden surge in LPG bookings, consumers are facing nearly a six-day waiting period for cylinder delivery,” said Mangesh Awsar, Bharat Gas distributor. Distributors have urged citizens not to panic and to follow the regular booking cycle to ensure smooth distribution across the city.

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Booking servers crash

A sudden surge in LPG bookings across the city has crashed mobile booking systems at several gas agencies. Panic-driven demand has overwhelmed the servers, causing delays in registrations and increasing pressure on distributors.

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Domestic cylinders kmisused

Sources said some commercial establishments are booking domestic LPG cylinders in family members’ names and using them for business purposes, adding pressure on the supply system.

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Panic booking for gas cylinders

“Due to fear among consumers, many are rushing to agencies to collect gas cylinders. Nearly 3,600 bookings are received every day. In such a situation, managing the demand becomes difficult as the current gas storage capacity at each agency is limited.”

- Deepak Vyas, Gas Agency owner

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Morning rush at gas agency

“In the early hours itself, between 8.30 and 9 am, nearly 100 people are already standing outside our gas agency to collect cylinders. The sudden rush is mainly due to panic among consumers, which is making it difficult for distributors to manage the crowd and ensure orderly delivery.”

- Jitendra Kacker, HP distributor

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Panic buying by families

“Panic has led many families to bypass the 25-day refill rule by obtaining new passbooks for reasons such as weddings or commercial needs and purchasing three to seven LPG cylinders.”

— Indane distributor (on condition of anonymity)