A crunch in commercial LPG cylinders has brought Karnataka’s hospitality sector to a standstill, with Food Minister K.H. Muniyappa calling on hoteliers, dhaba owners, and industrial users to bear with the shortage for a week. In a statement to the legislative council, he highlighted the alarming gap: the state requires 44,000 cylinders daily, but only a fraction—roughly 1,000—are reaching hotels amid ongoing supply hurdles.
Muniyappa explained that approximately 16 ships loaded with LPG are delayed in Iran and Qatar, but their imminent arrival, coupled with central government interventions, should resolve the issue swiftly. He described the scarcity as ‘war-like’ and recommended alternative cooking methods like electricity for the interim.
The government is striving to ramp up supplies to 10,000-15,000 cylinders while engaging associations for equitable allocation. Domestic users face no such woes, enjoying seamless delivery of over 3.5 lakh cylinders each day.
Strategic distributions include 4,200 cylinders for schools, hostels, and medical facilities; 1,200 for public infrastructure like airports and railway stations; and 500 for agro-processing and related sectors. Even as central norms limit quotas to 20%, the state has exceeded targets by sourcing 9,000 cylinders.
With constant monitoring and collaborative efforts involving the center and oil majors, the minister expressed confidence in restoring full commercial LPG flow without further delay.