West Bengal: Long queues outside cooking gas agency offices; LPG dispensing stations

Kolkata: Long queues of auto-rickshaws outside LPG dispensing stations and domestic consumers at local gas agency offices were seen on Thursday in Kolkata and several districts of West Bengal, as government assurances failed to calm panic buying that has sharply pushed up demand for cooking gas amid supply disruptions linked to the West Asia conflict.

Auto drivers said they were waiting for hours — and in some cases since the previous night — to refill LPG at pumps, while household consumers queued up outside gas distributor offices after online booking systems failed or remained inaccessible due to heavy traffic-induced server disruptions.

Drivers also complained that auto LPG prices have risen by about Rs 5 per kg in the city, but said the uncertainty over its availability posed a bigger concern.

Several drivers said they were forced to remain idle for hours or curtail trips as refuelling took longer than usual.

The rush has also overwhelmed booking systems of oil marketing companies, with distributors reporting repeated server crashes due to the surge in refill requests.

Average daily bookings for Indane LPG cylinders in the state have nearly doubled to around two lakh from about one lakh earlier, distributors said.

"This is panic buying," said Bijan Biswas, spokesperson for the Indane LPG Distributors' Association in Bengal. "Many people are afraid they might not get another cylinder soon, and that has led to this crisis," he said.

Biswas said booking servers were frequently going down for four to five hours at a stretch as consumers tried to book through mobile apps, websites and call centres.

With digital booking systems becoming unreliable, a large number of consumers have started visiting distributor offices to place orders in person, resulting in long queues from early morning in many neighbourhoods.

Dealers said the waiting time for delivery has stretched to around five to six days in many areas. Some consumers have also complained of bookings being cancelled or delivery attempts being marked as unsuccessful, they added.

Officials of the Petroleum Dealers' Association, however, said availability of petrol and diesel remained normal across the state even as LPG supplies came under pressure.

The crisis has also begun affecting restaurants and small eateries, with industry representatives saying deliveries of commercial LPG cylinders to many establishments have stopped, forcing some restaurants to trim operations. Several eateries have curtailed menus and reduced cooking hours in a bid to conserve fuel until supplies normalise.

Officials of the National Restaurant Association of India said the impact on restaurants is worsening as the LPG crisis continues, with several eateries curtailing menus and kitchen operations to conserve fuel. They warned that the industry could face significant losses if normal supplies are not restored soon.

At the same time, retailers of electronic appliances and general stores reported a sharp rise in sales of induction cooktops and electric cooking appliances as households looked for alternatives.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday directed oil marketing companies to restore booking servers immediately and prioritise supply to households whose cylinders have run out or are about to.

The state government has also asked companies to ensure uninterrupted supply to hospitals, ICDS centres, mid-day meal kitchens, hostels and small restaurants, and suggested continuing partial supply where full delivery is not possible.

There have also been reports of black marketing and hoarding of LPG cylinders in some areas amid the supply crunch, prompting authorities to step up monitoring of distributors and delivery channels.

Warning against hoarding and black marketing, Banerjee said the government would seize cylinders and distribute them among the public if such practices were detected.

She also announced that a dashboard would be created to track daily LPG stock and supply, while nodal officers would be appointed in each district to monitor booking and delivery. A virtual review meeting with district administrations has been scheduled on Thursday to assess the situation and consider further measures.