Thiruvananthapuram: The state govt has decided to seek the Centre’s intervention to increase state’s allocation of non-domestic LPG cylinders, as part of urgent measures to address the growing shortage of cooking gas for commercial and institutional use. The decision was taken at a high-level meeting chaired by chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday, attended by representatives of public sector oil companies and senior ministers, including civil supplies minister G R Anil, finance minister K N Balagopal and local self-govt minister M B Rajesh.The meeting reviewed the emerging shortage of non-domestic LPG cylinders and discussed steps to ensure uninterrupted supply to essential sectors. Kerala’s current allocation for non-domestic cylinders stands at 20% of total supply. Given the state’s higher demand and the presence of a large migrant worker population, the govt will request the Centre to raise this limit. To improve oversight, the state will set up a state-level monitoring committee to track daily LPG consumption and distribution. District-level committees headed by collectors will oversee the situation locally, with data tracked through a dedicated dashboard. A priority distribution system will also be introduced for the distribution of non-domestic cylinders for periods of shortage. Hospitals, old-age homes, orphanages, schools, community kitchens, IT park canteens and factory canteens will receive cylinders first. The chief minister also directed that crematoriums must not be affected under any circumstances. Further discussions will identify additional priority categories before a final list is communicated to LPG companies. To curb black marketing and hoarding, a joint enforcement team comprising revenue, civil supplies, and police officials along with LPG company representatives will intensify inspections. The team will also act against the illegal diversion of domestic cylinders for commercial or industrial use. The civil supplies department has been directed to boost kerosene supply as an alternative fuel in select sectors. It will also take steps to counter misinformation about the shortage circulating on social media. Chief secretary A Jayathilak and senior officials were also present at the meeting, along with representatives of public sector oil companies.
