Pune: Domestic consumers of liquified petroleum gas (LPG) in the city are beginning to face delays in cylinder deliveries, with waiting time increasing to around three to four days in several areas, compared to almost immediate supply earlier.The trend is evident amid oil marketing companies (OMCs) tightening dispatch to prevent hoarding and blackmarketing of the fuel, even as bookings have shot up tremendously in the last 48 hours. The developments are taking place against the backdrop of geopolitical unrest in West Asia.A Hinjewadi resident told TOI on Wednesday that he had booked a domestic LPG cylinder on Sunday but had still not received the delivery. “The agency kept saying supply is normal, but I still haven’t got the cylinder. I am managing with a microwave since the last four days, which makes cooking difficult as only limited things can be prepared,” he said.Pravin Khandalkar, a city-based LPG distributor, said companies are currently releasing cylinders to distributors strictly as per a daily quota instead of allowing extra lifting. “Earlier, we could lift an additional load if required, but now I am only getting whatever my daily quota is. This is only for domestic supply. Commercial supply has completely stopped for now. Domestic customers are being given the priority,” he said.Khandalkar, who also serves as the secretary of the All India LPG Distributors Federation, reasoned that the controlled supply is part of efforts to prevent diversion and illegal resale. “Supply is being regulated to ensure that cylinders are not diverted. Blackmarketing does happen, and some customers used to take more than one cylinder in a month and resell them. The fresh restrictions are meant to prevent such practices and keep distribution under control,” Khandalkar said.Distributors said panic booking by consumers after reports of shortage has also increased pressure on the system, leading to long queues at some agencies and delays in home deliveries. “People are panicking and booking cylinders even if they don’t need one immediately. In some places, people are lining up and taking cylinders themselves. Because of the rush, deliveries get delayed,” Khandalkar added.Booking servers are now facing a heavy load, too, slowing down the process further. “There is a surge in bookings from multiple places, due to which the server frequently goes down. Because of this, we are unable to generate documents, process transfers, or make inward and outward entries. As a result, deliveries are getting prolonged, and there is currently a waiting period of three to four days,” said the distributor.Conversely, a distributor of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), choosing anonymity, maintained that he has ample domestic cylinders provided by the company, and people need not panic.But the issue is already affecting prices, consumers said. Pooja Yatnur, a resident of Vimannagar, said she had to pay much more than usual to get a domestic cylinder on Wednesday. “I ended up paying Rs1,800 for a domestic cylinder, whereas I earlier paid around Rs1,300 because I didn’t have the passbook. . Booking through the phone number was not possible as the number was not working. I went to the gas agency, but it was shut. Finally, I found another vendor, who charged a very high amount. The booking line was also closed,” she narrated.Another city resident, Parvati M, said she faced a similar problem on Wednesday. “I could not get an LPG cylinder through the normal booking process and had to pay more than Rs2,000 for one finally,” she said.Residents have also been posting complaints on social media. One user wrote on X, “Paid Rs2200 for a stupid gas cylinder in Pune and we are supposed to raise kids in this economy.”Another resident posted online, “There is no gas cylinder available to book, not even in black, and frequent power cuts are happening in Pune, so even induction is not helping much.”Binod P, another Vimannagar resident, said he booked a cylinder a week ago but has still not received it. “I booked the cylinder online days ago but haven’t got it yet, and the agency is not answering calls,” he said, adding that the shortage is forcing many families to switch to alternative cooking options. “People who are not getting LPG cylinders are buying induction stoves. I managed to buy one online. It was not available on another app, and I feel even the app I used will soon run out of stock,” he said.He added that the problem seems to be more serious for establishments that cook in large quantities. “For small families, induction stoves may work, but places where food is made for many people cannot depend on these. If cylinders are not available, it becomes very difficult for them to manage,” he said.
