Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Distributors across Madhya Pradesh are reporting a nearly 25 per cent drop in daily LPG cylinder supply, raising concern over delay in deliveries if the situation persists.
The state, with around 1.75 crore active domestic LPG consumers, requires close to three lakh cylinders daily to meet household cooking fuel demand.
Under normal circumstances, 2.5 lakh to 3 lakh domestic LPG cylinders are supplied daily. Arvind Sharma, regional manager of HPCL, told Free Press that panic buying has led consumers to make multiple bookings, even when cylinders are not immediately needed.
Distributors say the current supply chain disruption has reduced the number of cylinders reaching consumers. Industry estimates suggest around 62,000 to 75,000 fewer cylinders are now being supplied daily.
Official data from the Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell (PPAC) under the Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas shows that of Madhya Pradesh s 1.75 crore domestic LPG consumers, around 84 lakh are connected to Indian Oil Corporation Limited, nearly 44 lakh to Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited, and about 48 lakh to Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited.
The state s household LPG consumption is substantial, averaging 95,000 to one lakh metric tonnes per month, equivalent to approximately 65 to 70 lakh cylinders. Annual domestic consumption in Madhya Pradesh is estimated at close to eight crore cylinders.
RK Gupta Vice President, LPG Association
Distributors across the state are witnessing a significant fall in cylinder supplies in recent days. There has been a reduction of nearly 25 to 30 per cent in the daily supply of LPG cylinders to distributors. The number of cylinders we are receiving from bottling plants has gone down compared to normal supply levels.
Arvind Sharma Regional Manager, HPCL
Panic is being created. If a customer books a cylinder, we are delivering it. However, because of this panic, some consumers are placing bookings four to five times. Even those who do not immediately need a cylinder are booking one. To prevent repeated bookings, a 15-day gap has been introduced in the system between two bookings.
Rishita Tomar
