Sitamau (Madhya Pradesh): A large number of consumers gathered at Palash Indane Gas Agency on Wednesday, triggering chaos amid concerns over LPG availability and booking delays.
The rush followed the halt in commercial cylinder supply and the imposition of a time limit on domestic LPG bookings. By noon, over 100 consumers had queued up at the agency.
Tension escalated as staff remained absent from counters even after the lunch break, prompting protests from consumers. Several complained that pending KYC updates prevented them from booking cylinders.
Tehsildar Mohit Seenam reached the spot, inspected booking records, stock and distribution, and issued directions to streamline operations.
Consumers from rural areas said they had been trying to book cylinders for several days without success. Agency operator Ranjana Palash said bookings surged to around 1,800 on Wednesday, compared to the usual 500–600 per day.
Officials said deliveries are being made within two to three days, while efforts continue to ease the situation.
Gas agency sealed for black marketing
Mandsaur: The Mandsaur district administration sealed Dwarka Indane Gas Agency on Tuesday after an employee was allegedly caught black-marketing domestic LPG cylinders at double the prescribed price and the operator failed to produce mandatory documents during an inspection.
According to the District Supply Officer, a joint team of the Food and Revenue Departments conducted a raid. During the operation, an employee identified as Ghanshyam was found allegedly selling domestic cylinders at inflated rates.
Officials said the agency operator could not produce the required documents, following which the premises were sealed until further orders on Tuesday evening.
The action was carried out in the presence of Sub-Divisional Magistrate Shubham Patidar, Deputy Collector Rohit Ranawat, Tehsildar Abhishek Chourasiya and other officials.
The administration has urged residents not to purchase LPG cylinders without proper booking and warned of strict action against hoarding and misuse.
