Published Mar 15, 2026 | 4:30 PM ⚊ Updated Mar 15, 2026 | 4:30 PM
Oil marketing companies are giving priority to domestic LPG cylinders over commercial ones.
Synopsis: The Telangana and Andhra Pradesh governments have assured consumers that domestic LPG supplies remain largely stable and sufficient to meet demand, urging people not to make panic bookings. In Telangana, commercial LPG deliveries have fallen to about 6,200 a day against a demand of roughly 23,000, severely affecting restaurants and other businesses.
The governments of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh have assured consumers that domestic cooking gas supplies are largely stable, even as Telangana has been reeling from an acute shortage of commercial gas.
Telangana Irrigation and Civil Supplies Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy on Saturday, 14 March, said the state government was making “all-out efforts” to ensure uninterrupted LPG supplies to households.
After a detailed review with representatives of the Telangana LPG Distributors Association at the Secretariat, Uttam Kumar Reddy said the state had formally written to the Central Government seeking additional commercial LPG allocations.
“The domestic LPG supply in Telangana is near normal, but commercial supplies are meeting only around 20 percent of the demand,” the minister told reporters after the meeting.
He also urged consumers not to make panic bookings and to follow the prescribed waiting period between refills.
Andhra Pradesh State Civil Supplies Commissioner Saurabh Gaur also said the government currently has 17,962 metric tonnes of LPG stock available, which is sufficient to meet demand.
He urged consumers not to panic over rumours circulating on social media about a possible shortage.
“There is no LPG shortage anywhere in the state. Consumers should not panic or resort to unnecessary refill bookings,” the commissioner said.
Telangana currently has around 1.3 crore active domestic LPG consumers and an estimated 1.5 lakh to 7.5 lakh commercial users, including hotels, restaurants, caterers and institutions, according to official figures.
On 14 March alone, a total of 2,42,371 domestic cylinders were delivered across the state through distributors of the three major oil marketing companies: Indian Oil Corporation (IOCL), Hindustan Petroleum (HPCL) and Bharat Petroleum (BPCL).
The break-up of deliveries is as follows:
Officials said that under normal circumstances, around 2.15 lakh domestic cylinders are delivered daily through about 8,010 LPG distributors across Telangana.
The commercial segment, but, has been hit hard by supply disruptions. The minister said deliveries have fallen sharply to around 6,200 cylinders per day, against a typical requirement of about 23,000 cylinders daily.
This shortfall has begun to affect the hospitality sector, particularly in Hyderabad, where restaurants rely heavily on commercial LPG for cooking.
Hotels and restaurants across the state have reported mounting difficulties in procuring cylinders. Some establishments have trimmed menu options, while smaller eateries and food outlets are struggling to remain operational as stocks run out.
The Hotels and Restaurants Association of Telangana has filed formal complaints with authorities over the shortage. The association warned that the crisis could lead to temporary closures of several outlets if supplies do not improve.
The Central Government has directed refiners to give priority to domestic consumption and essential sectors such as hospitals, educational institutions, welfare hostels and government establishments.
The Telangana government has also established a round-the-clock command and control centre at Civil Supplies Bhavan in Hyderabad to monitor supply and distribution.
A toll-free helpline—1800-428-00333/1967—has also been launched to address consumer complaints and queries on LPG supply.
The government has warned of stringent action against black marketing or diversion of domestic LPG cylinders for commercial use.
Authorities are also closely monitoring booking patterns after reports of panic buying by consumers. Officials said rumours about an LPG shortage triggered a spike in refill bookings in recent days, which temporarily strained online booking portals.
As a precaution, the Telangana government has arranged about 1,740 kilolitres of kerosene as a backup fuel supply to mitigate any temporary disruptions.
A state-level monitoring committee under the Chief Secretary, along with district-level committees headed by Collectors, has been constituted to track LPG availability and distribution daily.
The minister also assured LPG distributors that the government would provide all necessary support, including police protection if required, to handle panic-driven crowds at distribution points.
Andhra Pradesh has 161.19 lakh LPG connections across the three public sector oil marketing companies.
The break-up of connections is as follows:
The state’s daily domestic LPG requirement is about 4,000 metric tonnes, while non-domestic demand comes from commercial establishments and institutions.
As of 12 March, the total LPG stock available in the state stood at 15,880 metric tonnes, sufficient for about 3.9 days of supply.
Stock availability is as follows:
Officials said bottling plants across the state are functioning normally and cylinder deliveries are continuing without major disruption.
Commercial LPG supplies in Andhra Pradesh, but, have also been curtailed to ensure priority for domestic consumers.
The Central Government has imposed restrictions on bulk LPG supply to industries to safeguard household cooking gas availability.
Essential services such as hospitals, hostels, educational institutions and government establishments are receiving priority in the allocation of commercial cylinders.
Detailed instructions have been issued to district collectors and legislators to ensure accurate information on LPG availability is regularly communicated to the public.
Collectors have been asked to conduct daily reviews with LPG distributors and share updated information with the media through district information offices.
Officials said panic-driven bookings triggered by social media rumours had temporarily increased refill bookings by about 15 percent, though deliveries are continuing under the FIFO (First-In-First-Out) system.
Andhra Pradesh has also established a central control room at the Real Time Governance Society (RTGS) in the Secretariat, where officials from the Revenue, Civil Supplies and Police departments, along with oil marketing companies, coordinate supply monitoring.
At the district level, control rooms have been set up to track LPG stocks distributor-wise. District collectors have been instructed to submit twice-daily reports at 10 am and 6 pm covering:
Authorities have also been directed to inspect LPG stock points every six hours to prevent diversion or hoarding.
The government has warned that strict action will be taken against any diversion of LPG cylinders meant for domestic use to commercial establishments. OTP-based delivery authentication has also been implemented to prevent misuse.
LPG distributors have been instructed to display real-time information boards at their outlets showing current stock levels, pending bookings and expected delivery timelines. Revenue officials, including RDOs and tahsildars, have been asked to conduct frequent inspections of LPG agencies.
Meanwhile, the Union Government has issued orders under the Essential Commodities Act, 1955 to regulate natural gas supply and ensure adequate LPG production.
Refineries have been directed to maximise LPG output and prioritise supply to oil marketing companies for distribution to domestic consumers.
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
