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Supply improves, but panic keeps LPG lines stretched in across UP
Supply has improved markedly in recent days, but booking volumes remain elevated, preventing normalcy from returning. This gap between what people order in advance and what they actually receive tells the real story of the current disruption: behavioural factors, not genuine scarcity, are to blame.
Frantic booking of domestic LPG (Liquified Petroleum Gas) cylinders continues to strain Uttar Pradesh’s distribution network, even as authorities ramp up supplies. The crisis is driven less by actual shortages than by consumer anxiety, officials say.
Supply has improved markedly in recent days, but booking volumes remain elevated, preventing normalcy from returning. This gap between what people order in advance and what they actually receive tells the real story of the current disruption: behavioural factors, not genuine scarcity, are to blame.
The numbers reveal the pattern. On Tuesday, Uttar Pradesh recorded 12 lakh cylinder bookings against 8 lakh deliveries. Monday saw 13 lakh bookings but only 6 lakh deliveries due to a plant closure the previous day. Sunday brought roughly 13.5 lakh bookings against 7.1 lakh deliveries.
Under normal circumstances, the state logs 6 to 8 lakh bookings daily against around 7 lakh deliveries. Current demand levels are heavily inflated.
“The supply side has picked up, but panic booking is still continuing and keeping pressure on the system,” said a senior official from the distribution network. “People are booking cylinders well before they are due, sometimes making repeat bookings, which distorts actual demand.”
The mismatch is evident in Lucknow. On Wednesday, authorities supplied 40,000 cylinders through 118 gas agencies, while bookings stayed higher at around 52,000 per day, according to Jyoti Gautam, additional district magistrate (civil supplies).
Gas agency outlets remain crowded, with queues prevalent. In areas hit by prior supply disruptions, consumer anxiety persists, fueling advance bookings.
Jagdish Raj, president of the Uttar Pradesh chapter of the All India LPG Distributors Federation, said the situation shows how perception can distort essential supply systems. “While there is no widespread shortage of LPG, the continued surge in precautionary bookings is amplifying pressure on the network,” he said.
Unless booking patterns normalise, the system will remain strained despite supply improvements. Authorities expect consumer confidence to return gradually, realigning supply with actual demand.
“Communication will be key in the coming days,” Raj stressed. “Reassuring consumers about LPG availability and maintaining consistent supply flows could reduce anxiety-driven behaviour.”
Gautam acknowledged the challenge. While supply chains are stabilising, demand patterns remain abnormal. To tackle this, authorities are strengthening monitoring to identify irregular bookings, considering stricter enforcement of the 25-day booking interval, and improving coordination at agencies with recurring bottlenecks.
The administration is also planning steps to ease crowding at outlets, including better delivery scheduling, increased digital tracking, and awareness campaigns discouraging unnecessary early bookings.
“Although supplies have increased over the last three days, booking levels have not declined,” said Sanjay Bhandari, executive director and state head (Uttar Pradesh) of Indian Oil Corporation. “The trend shows that supplies are improving, but bookings remain elevated due to panic. We expect this to ease from next week as the situation becomes clearer to consumers.”
Gas distributors caution that until panic booking subsides, even enhanced supply may not fully ease pressure. LPG distribution relies on a finely balanced system linking bottling plants, transportation, last-mile delivery through agencies. When booking volumes spike abnormally, the entire chain breaks down, disrupting schedules, delaying deliveries, creating localised shortages.
