Bhaskar Exclusive: LPG gas crisis deepens, only 12959 bottles available against 20970 LPG bookings

The effects of the ongoing war in the Middle East have now reached the kitchen of the border district of Kutch. The LPG gas crisis in Kutch has deepened for the last three days due to international supply chain disruption. It has been found that the quantity is currently low against bookings in Kutch. In the major cities of the district, Gandhidham, Bhuj and Mandvi, customers were seen standing in queues with empty cylinders since early morning. A total of 20,917 customers made online bookings on Thursday with the three major oil companies that distribute gas in Kutch - IOCL, BPCL, and HPCL. At present, only 12,959 bottles of gas are available. At the same time, 7,496 bottles have been dispatched to Kutch from other cities. The situation is worse in Gandhidham, the industrial hub of Kutch. The agencies have been witnessing a rush of people for the last three days. The distribution system has been disrupted due to non-availability of sufficient stocks against the requirement. The same situation is being seen in Bhuj and Mandvi where customers are waiting for hours. The biggest problem is 'panic booking'. Consumers who do not need it urgently are also rushing for refilling, fearing a shortage of gas. The sudden increase in the number of bookings compared to the usual days has put pressure on the agencies. The administration has appealed to the citizens not to panic and make unnecessary bookings. At present, in this situation of war, only gas bottles are being discussed in every square of the village and city. There is talk about who will get it and when. From the center to the local, the phones of the gas agency have been switched off. At the time of the current gas shortage, people are booking in panic. However, from the central government to local agencies, everyone has switched off their phone numbers. Bhaskar tried to contact 5 gas agencies in Bhuj for a reality check. But the phones of two agencies were switched off, while the administrators of the 3 agencies did not receive the calls. Only the gas agency in Nakhatrana got a call and said that you will get a gas bottle in 3 days after booking. On the one hand, the war in the Middle East has caused problems in gas supply at the international level, on the other hand, black marketing elements have become active in the border areas of Kutch by taking advantage of the situation. As part of this, the supply department has called a crackdown and seized the quantity of illegal gas cylinders in Bhuj city and Khavda area. An inspection was conducted at Pramukhswamy Nagar in Khavda on the basis of a tip-off by a team of district supply officers. The gas cylinders were stored at a shop named 'Swaminarayan Gas Service Centre' run by Bipin Davda. During the investigation, 11 commercial cylinders of 19 kg and 4 empty bottles and 7 domestic cylinders of 14.2 kg and 2 empty bottles were recovered from the spot. Goods worth Rs. 1,01,244 have been seized. On the other hand, two bottles of commercial gas were seized from a restaurant named Real Paprika on Airport Road in Bhuj. More gas bottles were found in the restaurant than usual. According to government rules, no more than 100 kg can be stored. On the one hand, when the general public is standing in queues for gas, such hoarders are committing the sin of black marketing by creating artificial shortages. Meeting of the system with gas dealers and agencies held In view of the current situation, District Supply Officer Arsh Hashmi held a meeting at the Collector's office with all the distributors of the district to ensure that the supply of LPG under essential commodities is maintained in an orderly manner and there is no shortage as per the requirement. It has been suggested to take special care not to spread false messages, rumors and create an atmosphere of unnecessary fear depending on the situation in the district, and the district gas operators have been instructed to be careful not to black-market unnecessary storage breaches. If anyone hoards, they will be prosecuted under the LPG Control Order 2000 and the Essential Commodities Act, 1955 and the Gas Cylinder Rules, 2016. Bookings in gas companies on Thursday