Patna: A shortage of LPG cylinders in the city has dampened festive spirit as Ramzan enters its final phase and Eid approaches next week, triggering concern among households ahead of Ram Navami and Gudi Padwa as well. Residents said delays in refills have caused anxiety at a time when cooking needs rise due to fasting, iftar gatherings and festival meals.Farhat Sultana, a resident of Phulwarisharif, said she booked an LPG cylinder on February 4 but was still waiting for delivery. When her brother visited the agency to inquire, he was asked to collect the cylinder from the godown, where he found a long queue. Standing in such a line, she said, was especially difficult during fasting.In Raja Bazar, resident Shabana Imam said Eid celebrations usually involve preparing dishes such as sheer-khurma and other sewai-based delicacies that require long cooking hours, but fear of a shortage had forced her to consider reducing the number of items she would prepare. She said she received a cylinder a week after booking online but remained worried it might run out during the festival rush.A resident of Naya Tola, who had come to Patna to celebrate Eid, said her refill was exhausted on Wednesday evening while she was preparing iftar. She said she had to buy both iftar and dinner from a restaurant before a relative later helped her arrange a cylinder. If the situation continued, she added, celebrating Eid would become difficult.The concern is not limited to Eid. With Gudi Padwa also approaching, families preparing traditional festival meals said they were trying to conserve gas.Sanjay Bhosle, a member of Maharashtra Mandal, said he had asked women in his household to reduce LPG use and manage with caution. He said Gudi Padwa, scheduled on March 19, is usually marked by the preparation of dishes such as puran poli, shrikhand and kotimbir vadi, but the fear of a cylinder shortage had reduced festive enthusiasm.
