Karnataka HC seeks govt reply on LPG shortage; hotels say 1,000 cylinders a day 'grossly inadequate'

Bengaluru: The High Court of Karnataka on Tuesday directed the union and state governments to respond by March 23 regarding the allocation, stock and other aspects pertaining to the supply of commercial LPG cylinders in the state.

Justice Sachin Shankar Magadum gave this direction after hearing a petition filed by the Bangalore Hotels Association and others.

K Sathish, counsel for the petitioners, submitted that the state government’s new priority-based allocation of 1,000 commercial LPG cylinders per day to the hotels in the entire state does not meet the requirements. He noted that Bengaluru alone has 40,000 hotels and restaurants and this allocation is less than 5% of the regular supplies.

There is an acute shortage of cylinders at least in Bengaluru, if not throughout the state. Many restaurants have closed in and around Bengaluru. A huge population is dependent on hotel food, and a supply chain would be affected, the petitioners stated.

The petition further said that the hotel industry employs over six lakh people in Bengaluru and must be considered on top of the priority-based allocation. 

The petitioners stated that on March 5, the union government had passed an order under the Essential Commodities Act to regulate the production, storage and supply of petroleum products.

After taking stock of the situation, on March 16, the state government took a decision to prioritise the daily supply of commercial LPG cylinders restricting 1,000 cylinders to hotels across the state, the petition said.