Nagpur: Despite repeated claims by the govt and oil marketing companies (OMCs) that LPG supply is normalising, residents and businesses across the city are complaining about acute shortage of cylinders, with delivery delays stretching up to 20-30 days after booking.Several consumers told TOI that the situation has worsened over the past few weeks, severely affecting household routines and commercial operations. In many cases, residents said that even after completing the mandatory 25-day gap between bookings, they had to wait another 20 to 30 days for delivery, pushing the total waiting period close to 50 days.Some consumers reported that their bookings were automatically cancelled without delivery, while others received messages showing cylinders as “delivered” despite not receiving them. The confusion has only deepened frustration among consumers already struggling with limited availability. The crisis, which began in early March with the West Asia conflict, initially triggered long queues outside gas agencies. While the situation has marginally improved, several areas in the city still report supply shortages and sporadic long lines. Officials from the district administration admitted that supply has not yet reached pre-crisis levels. Before the disruption, Nagpur received around 33,000 domestic cylinders and 1,200 commercial cylinders daily. Currently, domestic supply fluctuates between 18,000 and 25,000 cylinders, while commercial supply has plummeted drastically to just about 120 cylinders per day.A senior official from the Collectorate said that during a recent review meeting, the newly appointed district collector issued strict instructions to both gas agencies and companies to ensure that citizens do not suffer. While there has been some improvement, officials indicated that it could take at least two more months for the situation to stabilise fully. Gas agency owners blamed OMCs for the problems. According to Bablu Tiwari, state president of the LPG Dealers Association of India, agencies are currently receiving only about half of their required supply. He also pointed to the introduction of multiple new regulations, which he said are further complicating the distribution process and slowing deliveries. Echoing the concerns, gas agency owner Mahendra Gavai alleged that despite clear instructions from the collector to increase supply in affected areas, companies have instead reduced allocation by nearly 50%. “Collector also asked companies to send email to gas agency owners regarding the notification of OTP compulsion for delivery, but even after four days, the companies did not even send the email,” said Gavai.
