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No need for panic booking, we have enough LPG stock: T’gana civil supplies minister
Telangana assures uninterrupted LPG supply amid panic booking fears, urging consumers to avoid hoarding and rely on official updates for information.
The Telangana government on Friday appealed to all the consumers not to panic book LPG cylinders amid growing concerns triggered by geopolitical tensions in West Asia, and assured that there would be uninterrupted supply of gas to the domestic consumers.
Following reports of the LPG consumers queuing up before the gas dealers for booking of cylinders in different parts of the state, civil supplies minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy held a high-level video conference with representatives of oil companies, senior officials of the civil supplies department and police authorities.
Speaking to reporters later, Reddy said there was no shortage of domestic LPG in Telangana and urged citizens to avoid panic booking based on unverified social media rumours, as there would be uninterrupted supply and distribution of gas to the domestic consumers.
“The supply chain remains stable and fresh consignments are arriving regularly. The state maintains about 10,611 metric tonnes of LPG in stock, equivalent to roughly 6.97 lakh (697,000) cylinders,” he said.
He called for a thorough coordination among all the agencies concerned to ensure adequate stock levels and effective mechanisms for timely delivery while initiating stringent measures for curbing hoarding of LPG cylinders and strategies to counter misinformation fuelling public anxiety.
The minister said Telangana had a robust LPG network, with around 12.9 million active domestic connections serviced by 810 distributors. “The daily requirement stands at approximately 2.5 lakh (250,000) cylinders, of which domestic users account for nearly 86%, leaving commercial demand at about 14%. No bottling plant in the state has faced disruptions, and over 90% of domestic demand has been consistently met in recent periods,” he said.
He said a key measure discussed at the video conference was the enforcement of revised booking intervals to prevent diversion of subsidized domestic cylinders to commercial or hoarding purposes.
“The government has aligned with national guidelines to set the minimum booking gap at 25 days for urban consumers and 45 days for rural consumers. This adjustment, from previous shorter intervals, aims at matching realistic household consumption patterns, while curbing surplus cylinders that could be misused in hotels, restaurants, or black markets,” he said.
Reddy said dedicated coordination committees have been established at both state and district levels starting Friday. The state-level LPG supply coordination committee will be headed by the chief secretary, and it will monitor real-time stock, distribution, and compliance across the state.
At the district level, committees led by district collectors will conduct daily reviews, enforce booking rules, and address local grievances promptly. These bodies include representatives from civil supplies, police, and oil company representatives to ensure seamless collaboration, he said.
The minister said the government mandated zero shortages for essential services such as hospitals, schools, orphanages, old age homes, and other critical institutions. “Minor adjustments may apply to commercial sectors only if needed to safeguard domestic priorities, but officials clarified that overall supply stability allows balanced distribution,” he said.
The minister appealed for public cooperation, advising reliance on official channels for updates. He reiterated the government’s commitment to ensure deliveries meeting genuine requirement of households and ensuring equitable access during this period of global uncertainty.
