On a day they would normally have kept their shutters down, Lucknow’s gas agencies opened on Sunday to tackle a growing crisis: a backlog of undelivered LPG cylinders that has left thousands of households waiting, and patience running thin across the city.
Agencies, which remain closed on Sundays as a weekly off, made a special exception to clear pending deliveries after a surge in refill bookings threw the city’s domestic gas supply chain into disarray over the past several days. The operation, however, ran on limited capacity as no fresh cylinders were supplied to distributors during the day, forcing agencies to work only from existing stock. Fresh supplies are expected on Monday.
Officials said refill bookings shot up to nearly three times the normal level, driven by panic ordering after rumours of a shortage and reports of technical glitches in booking systems earlier in the week. The spike triggered heavy footfall at agency offices, with long queues reported in residential areas including Vikas Nagar and Alambagh, and some consumers waiting several hours amid uncertainty over stock.
The pressure also led to chaos at some distribution points. In Vikas Nagar, confusion broke out after an agency shifted its cylinder distribution location, leading to crowding and arguments. In Alambagh, consumers created a ruckus after a distributor stopped issuing cylinders when stock ran out, forcing staff to temporarily halt operations.
{{/usCountry}}The pressure also led to chaos at some distribution points. In Vikas Nagar, confusion broke out after an agency shifted its cylinder distribution location, leading to crowding and arguments. In Alambagh, consumers created a ruckus after a distributor stopped issuing cylinders when stock ran out, forcing staff to temporarily halt operations.
{{/usCountry}}Jagdish Raj, president of the All India LPG Distributors Federation (UP Chapter), urged consumers to stay home. “The cylinders will be delivered to your homes, so there is no need to come to the agency and create pressure. On Monday, distribution will start as soon as distributors receive fresh stocks in the early morning,” he said.
Sanjay Bhandari, executive director and state head of Indian Oil Corporation, said most bottling plants remained closed on Sunday due to scheduled maintenance, with only the Kanpur plant operational to ensure adequate stock for Monday’s dispatch. He acknowledged last-mile delivery delays in some areas and said oil companies were coordinating with distributors to clear pending orders.
Supply department officials urged residents to avoid panic booking, stating that LPG stocks are adequate and the situation is expected to normalise once the backlog is cleared.