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Queues shrink, delivery hiccups continue amid LPG panic buying
LPG supply situation showing signs of recovery, but relief inconsistent; people visiting agencies either following up on delayed deliveries or trying to book 2nd cylinder within short span, reveals HT report
LUCKNOW Even as queues outside gas agencies have begun to shrink, LPG supply hiccups continue to grip the city, leaving consumers anxious over delayed deliveries. But on-the-ground reports indicate that the disruptions are driven not by a genuine shortage of domestic gas reserves, but rather by panic buying and system overloads.
A ground check by HT across multiple LPG agencies revealed that domestic LPG supply situation in Lucknow is showing early signs of recovery, but relief remains inconsistent across the city. Though the rush has eased compared to previous days, anxiety among consumers remains high. Many of those visiting agencies are either following up on delayed deliveries or attempting to book a second cylinder within a short span, fearing further shortages.
While some gas agencies report normalised operations and reduced crowds, others continue to struggle with long queues and delayed deliveries, highlighting gaps in last-mile distribution.
At Raj Gas Service in Aliganj, the situation appeared largely under control on Tuesday afternoon. With no visible crowd around 3 pm, officials said deliveries had been completed for bookings up to March 15.
The agency, which caters to over 11,000 consumers in areas such as Aliganj and Triveni Nagar, has increased its daily distribution from about 280 cylinders to over 350. However, demand has also surged, with nearly 500 bookings being received daily.
Officials attributed the smoother operations to better communication with customers. “We displayed clear information about booking dates being served. Consumers are aware, so they don’t gather unnecessarily,” an official said.
A similar trend was observed at Arunodaya Gas Agency, where footfall remained low and multiple supply trucks were deployed to speed up deliveries.
At Vinayak Gas Service near Lekhraj Metro Station on Ayodhya Road, chaos unfolded as supply disruptions a day earlier led to heavy crowding on Tuesday morning. With no cylinder delivery on Monday, residents began lining up as early as 6 am.
By the time the centre opened at 8 am, the queue had stretched onto the main Ayodhya Road. By 8:30 am, more than 100 people were waiting, many unsure of when they would receive their cylinders.
Anil Sharma, who arrived around 7 am, said the queue was already long when he got there.
Residents expressed frustration over the gap between government claims and actual conditions. While authorities maintain that LPG cylinders are being delivered efficiently through bookings, consumers said they are still being forced to visit agencies and wait in queues.
“The government says book from home and the cylinder will be delivered. But here, the situation is completely opposite,” said one of the people in queue.
For many families, delays are disrupting daily life. Ambika Prasad said he had booked a cylinder three days ago and even visited the agency earlier, but supplies had not arrived.
“With no gas at home, cooking has become difficult. We are told there is no shortage and cylinders will be delivered at home. But looking at these queues, it feels like those claims don’t mean much,” he lamented.
The staff of the agency said those not given cylinders have yet to receive DAC numbers. The agency has around 20,000 consumers and delivers around 500 cylinders per day usually but recently the agency has been delivering around 600 cylinders every day.
Meanwhile, at a gas agency in Kalyanpur, which caters to areas such as Khurram Nagar, Jankipuram, Vikas Nagar, Sugamau and nearby localities, officials said the situation has improved marginally. Jitendra Kumar Shukla, manager of the agency, said while queues were significantly longer on Monday, they had reduced by Tuesday.
“Customers are still coming in with queries. Most of them are those who have already booked a second cylinder within 25 days due to fear of shortage,” he said.
On delays, Shukla said cylinders booked on March 9 were being delivered on Tuesday, indicating a lag of several days. “Supply is limited. If we receive more cylinders, deliveries can be faster. Bookings done earlier are being catered to first...this is also one of the reasons for delay,” he added. He also pointed out that SMS booking is facing technical issues and advised consumers to use the mobile app instead.
However, the not so tech-savvy people are facing difficulties with the app. Many who are not familiar with using mobile applications are seeking help from others at the agency. One such person was Pankaj Singh Bharti from Kalyanpur. He said he had booked a cylinder on March 15 and received a message stating that confirmation would be sent within 24 hours. However, even by March 17, he had not received any confirmation.
Officials admitted that bookings through SMS are facing issues, those through the app are being processed.
Shukla said till Tuesday afternoon, 3,299 LPG cylinders were pending for delivery at his centre. This figure also includes 261 bookings received on Tuesday alone.
On supply, he said the highest number of cylinders received was on Monday, when 720 cylinders were delivered to the agency. On Tuesday, till afternoon, 261 cylinders had been received, and he expected another 240 cylinders by the end of the day.
Regarding deliveries, he said from morning till 2pm on Tuesday, 355 cylinders had been delivered. These included bookings made on March 9 and 10.
A slightly different situation was observed at another gas agency in Aliganj. While there was no large crowd, around 15 people were seen standing across three counters at the office. Some were unable to book cylinders through SMS, while others reported that despite successful booking and confirmation messages, deliveries had not been made even after five days.
Among them was Shaiza Bano, 69, who broke down at the counter while pleading with officials. She said she had received a booking confirmation on March 10 but had still not received her cylinder. “It is Ramzan, and we are unable to cook. We are helpless,” she said. However, her issue was later resolved, and a delivery agent was instructed to deliver the cylinder to her residence.
As of now, the ground situation suggests that the pressure on agencies has reduced slightly, but supply shortages and panic driven demand continue to keep the system under strain.
Officials acknowledged that while overall dispatches have increased, synchronising supply with last-mile delivery remains a challenge.
ADM (civil supplies) Jyoti Gautam said the situation is improving but not yet stable. “It will take some time before normalcy is restored across all outlets,” she noted.
According to Indian Oil Corporation executive director and state head Sanjay Bhandari, LPG demand has nearly doubled across the state.
“Bookings have risen to 13 lakh per day from 7 lakh earlier, while supply remains around 7 lakh cylinders daily. We expect to clear the backlog soon,” he said.
BOOKING CONFIRMED, DELIVERY DENIED
Some consumers reported receiving booking confirmations but were still denied cylinders.
Sharmila Devi, a resident of Indira Nagar, said she had received a booking message on her phone but was refused a cylinder at the agency. She was instead asked to visit the agency’s office at Munshipulia to obtain a physical slip.
“I kept trying for a long time, but in the end, I returned empty-handed,” she said. “I have the booking confirmation, yet they are not giving the cylinder.”
OTP DELAYS FRUSTRATE BUYERS
Despite adequate stock at some outlets, delays in receiving OTP have become a hurdle for consumers.
At Arunodaya Gas Agency, which serves nearly 40,000 consumers across Alambagh, Cantt, Hussainganj, South City and Charbagh, around 1,000 cylinders are supplied daily. However, customers without OTP verification are being asked to wait.
Sagar Kumar, a resident of Topkhana Cantt, said. “We haven’t received the DAC number for three days. Without it, there’s no way to get a cylinder, even though stock is available,” he said.
ILLEGAL REFILLING RACKET BUSTED IN KANPUR
A man was arrested on Tuesday after a joint team of the supply department and police uncovered an illegal LPG refilling operation in Barra. The raid was carried out at a tin-shed structure on a plot in Keshavnagar area,, officials said.
District supply inspector Ram Niranjan, who filed a complaint at Barra police station, said the team led by regional food officers found evidence of unauthorised refilling at the site.
Three domestic cylinders were recovered — two filled and one partially used. Officials also seized a smaller empty cylinder, a refilling nozzle and 76 cylinder caps, suggesting a makeshift set-up used to transfer gas.
SHO (Barra) Ravindra Srivastava said the accused was taken into custody and a case had been registered.
