India LPG Gas Cylinder Shortage News Live Updates: 741 cooking gas cylinders seized in Chhattisgarh in drive against hoarding; Brent Crude climbs to $103.14

Amid concerns over LPG supply disruptions, long queues were seen outside several gas agencies in Noida as people waited to collect cooking gas cylinders. (Express Photos by Gajendra Yadav)

A section of hotels and restaurants operating in Chennai and parts of Tamil Nadu have commenced using alternative methods to keep the business running in view of the commercial LPG shortage, officials said.

Some of the alternative methods of cooking that hoteliers said they were adopting include induction stoves and firewood. They said they adopt these methods in addition to the tweaking of menus in order to minimise LPG usage.

A top official of a city-based popular restaurant chain told PTI, "We have moved to using induction stoves. Most of our branches are using this facility now, as we have adequate infrastructure to prepare the food on the induction stoves". — PTI

The Manipur government has said there is no shortage of LPG and petroleum products in the wake of the West Asia crisis, asserting that claims of scarcity of cooking gas in the state were misleading.

The Indian Oil Corporation Ltd, Imphal, has confirmed that there is sufficient stock of LPG and other petroleum products in the state, an official release said late on Friday.

"IOCL has clarified that the temporary disruption in LPG distribution over the past few days was due to a purely technical issue at the all-India level in the Delivery Authentication Code (DAC) system. This issue has now been resolved and was in no way connected to the stock position of LPG in the state," it said. — PTI

The ongoing LPG crisis, which has led to the mass closure of restaurants and hotels across Kerala, has triggered an exodus of migrant workers returning to their native places, as Ramzan approaches and elections are to be held in West Bengal and Assam.

Restaurant and hotel operators are trying to retain their staff from other states, fearing that if migrant workers leave now, they may not return until after the election.

G Jayapal, state president of the Kerala Hotel and Restaurant Association (KHRA), told PTI that migrant workers from West Bengal and Assam were expected to return home a week before the elections in their respective states. — PTI

“It is a complete failure of the Modi government’s foreign policy. If China and Russia could get it, why not India?” says Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge on reported LPG shortage.

The Food Distribution Department cracked down on a gang involved in the black marketing of domestic and commercial gas cylinders in the Worli area and seized a large stock, officials said on Saturday.

The joint operation, conducted by the Controller Food Rationing Office squad and officers from Office No. 21, targeted illegal stockpiling and selling of gas cylinders at inflated prices in the 'Suraj Vallabhdas Chawl' area on Ganpatrao Kadam Road at Worli Naka.

During the operation, authorities seized 64 filled 4-kg and 19 filled 12-kg cylinders of Super Gas Company, along with six filled and 58 empty 5-kg cylinders of HP Gas Company. Additionally, 25 empty cylinders of various sizes - 12 kg, 4 kg, and 2 kg - were seized. — ANI

As many as 741 LPG cylinders seized in Chhattisgarh in drive against hoarding, black marketing A total of 741 LPG cylinders were seized from 102 locations across Chhattisgarh as part of a crackdown on hoarding and black marketing amid the West Asia crisis, an official said on Friday. — PTI

Karnataka Minister Eshwara Khandre blamed the Centre for the ongoing shortage of commercial LPG cylinders, stating that the Union government should have anticipated the crisis arising from the ongoing West Asia conflict and taken preventive measures to ensure uninterrupted supply.

Speaking to reporters in Bidar, Khandre said the Centre, particularly Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, should have been better prepared for the situation as tensions in West Asia were already escalating. He stressed that timely planning could have helped prevent the disruption currently affecting businesses and consumers across several states. — ANI

Amid concerns over LPG supply in parts of the state, Himachal Pradesh Education Minister Rohit Thakur said there was no shortage of LPG for the Mid-Day Meal scheme in schools, adding that the state government has made adequate arrangements to ensure uninterrupted cooking of meals for students.

Speaking to ANI here, the minister on Friday said the overall LPG supply situation in the state was currently under control, and authorities are closely monitoring the availability of essential commodities. — ANI

On the reported LPG crisis, Congress MP Jebi Mather says, “The Prime Minister and the Petroleum Minister are portraying that everything is fine, while ground reports show restrictions affecting caterers, hostels, hotels, weddings, and households. The government must first acknowledge the existence of a crisis in order to address it.”

On opposition parties' protest outside Parliament, BJP leader Kangana Ranaut said, "These are ways to hide their failures. As PM Modi has said, there is no shortage of LPG in the country. He has also assured that the government will not let any such situation arise. He is our leader; we will have to trust him and support him."

TMC leader June Malia said, “We all know that there is a major LPG crisis. Many restaurants have been shut down because of this crisis. We are not making this up. In West Bengal, the waiting period was 21 days, which has now increased to 25 days, and in villages, the waiting period has gone up to 47 days. TMC wants PM Modi to address this issue in the House immediately.”

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju intervenes amid din and slogans of “Modiji, LPG”, “Na Narender, na cylinder”, from the opposition benches. He also appealed for order to allow question hour to continue. “I am appealing to you to pay heed, reform yourself, the country is watching,” he said. However, Lok Sabha had to be adjourned till 2 PM amid the ruckus. — Jatin Anand

Congress workers staged a protest outside the Indian National Congress headquarters in Delhi on Friday over the alleged shortage of LPG cylinders, demanding the resignation of Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri.

The demonstrators accused the Centre of failing to ensure an adequate supply of cooking gas and misleading the public about the situation.

During the protest, party workers set up a makeshift chulha (traditional stove) and prepared tea as a symbolic demonstration, raising slogans against the government and highlighting the difficulties faced by households due to the reported shortage. — ANI

Most Asian equities and currencies fell on Friday as fresh attacks in Gulf waters kept crude near $100 a barrel, strengthening inflation fears and driving investors toward the safety of the U.S. dollar. MSCI's emerging market stock index fell 1% on Friday and is down nearly 8% since late February, while the EM currency gauge slipped 0.3% and is off about 2% over the same stretch. The dollar index ⁠reached its ​highest level since November 28, thanks to itssafe-haven appeal and also because the U.S. is a net energy exporter. Iran's new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, vowed to keep the Strait of Hormuz - the route for a fifth of global oil supply - closed, even as Washington tried to ease supply constraints with a 30-day waiver on stranded ​Russian ​crude. The strains from the war are spilling into the real economy, ⁠with airlines flagging fuel concerns and flight cancellations leaving travellers stranded. Governments in India, Thailand and the Philippines have moved to prioritise household liquefied natural gas supplies. — Reuters

Oil prices headed for weekly gains as of Friday, despite the U.S. trying to ease supply concerns by issuing a 30-day license for countries to buy Russian oil and petroleum products stranded at sea.

Brent futures for May rose 10 cents, or 0.1%, to $100.56 a barrel by 0400 GMT, heading for about a 9% weekly increase. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude for ⁠April was ​down 16 cents, or 0.2% at $95.57 a barrel, though also poised for a 7% uptick for the week.

The license was issued in what Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said was a step to stabilise global energy markets roiled by the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, but analysts said this has failed to resolve wider supply ​constraints. — Reuters