Mumbai: The Maharashtra govt has begun sector-wise rationing of commercial LPG cylinders following a directive from the Centre asking district collectors to prioritise essential services while allocating gas across cities, towns and villages. The state govt has laid down supply percentages for various sectors.In letters issued on March 13 and 14 by the state food, civil supplies and consumer protection department, collectors have been told to strictly follow a priority list while distributing commercial LPG within their districts. Hospitals, educational institutions and key public services will receive 100% LPG supply, ensuring uninterrupted cooking and operational needs in critical sectors.The order specifies govt and private hospitals, as well as schools, colleges, hostels and other educational institutions, must be supplied LPG cylinders at their full requirement levels. The state govt has also separately instructed collectors to ensure educational institutions—including pre-primary schools, secondary schools and aided institutions —get 100% LPG allocation.Other essential public services such as sanitation facilities, milk collection centres and community kitchens (annachatra) have also been placed in the top priority category with full supply entitlement.For the hospitality sector, including restaurants, hotels, roadside dhabas, tourism establishments and religious or public places, LPG allocation is capped at 90% of demand.The order also provides limited allocation for transport services, with the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) eligible for 50% LPG supply.Industrial units, seed processing units and fisheries have been assigned 40% supply. Authorities said the priority-based distribution will be implemented immediately and district administrations will coordinate with distributors to ensure compliance.Meanwhile, LPG shortage has crept into the city’s public hospitals, with food availability for doctors and staff affected. Food preparation for patients was not affected so far, said officials of the state govt-run J J Hospital in Byculla and central govt-run Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research and Education in Cancer (ACTREC), Tata Memorial Centre’s Kharghar unit, which were affected.
