From long queues to black-market sales: UP residents reel from LPG supply chaos

LUCKNOW : A disruption in the supply and booking system of domestic LPG cylinders triggered panic across UP. Consumers were forced to queue outside gas agencies for hours and, in many cases, revert to traditional wood-fired stoves for cooking.

Ambedkar Nagar: Officials claimed that around 14,000 cylinders were available across agencies, yet consumers struggled to obtain refills. Notices reading “stock finished” were displayed at several outlets, forcing people to return empty-handed.

The district has 44 LPG agencies serving nearly 5.1 lakh consumers, but the rush intensified after the delivery authentication code (DAC) system was made mandatory for cylinder delivery.

Residents narrated their difficulties. Seema from Shehzadpur said she booked a cylinder on Feb 23 but still did not receive it and was now cooking on a traditional stove.

Suresh Kumar of Mirpur Sheikhpur said he visited agencies since Mar 5 only to hear that the stock ran out. In Madhavpur, consumers reached a gas service agency, only to find it locked.

Bahraich: Consumers complained that the LPG booking helpline numbers stopped responding, while OTPs required for delivery authentication were not received. Residents said repeated attempts to book cylinders failed due to network and server issues.

The shortage began affecting welfare schemes and institutions as well. Officials reported difficulty arranging LPG cylinders for preparing mid-day meals. In several villages, women were seen cooking on wood stoves.

Balrampur: Network failures halted online booking systems. Consumers were forced to visit agencies for manual booking and were given delivery dates 4-5 days later.

District magistrate Vipin Kumar Jain chaired a review meeting with oil company officials and distributors and said that there was no shortage of LPG supply, but warned that negligence in distribution or illegal practices would not be tolerated.

Rae Bareli: Hundreds of consumers stood in long queues for KYC verification and booking. Officials said 8,954 cylinders were distributed, while 7,936 cylinders remained in stock across 56 agencies. However, repeated server failures disrupted the booking and KYC process, leading to heated arguments and crowding outside several outlets.

Basti: Consumers alleged large-scale irregularities in distribution and claimed that LPG cylinders were sold in the black market for Rs1,500-2,000. Aarti Devi, a consumer, said she was waiting in line for three hours despite severe body pain. Another consumer, Meena Kumari, said people were first given tokens and then asked to travel several kilometres to villages to collect cylinders.

Hardoi: In Hardoi, authorities seized 45 LPG cylinders allegedly being transported illegally for black marketing near the Sandila block office.
District magistrate Anunay Jha said that action would be taken against anyone found involved in illegal storage or black marketing.