MP faces LPG shortage, only 15% stock left:Domestic cylinders delayed 5–7 days; Bhopal and Indore Metro may not get supply

The impact of LPG shortage has now reached kitchens. Commercial cylinder supply has been stalled in the state for 3 days. The waiting period for domestic cylinders has also increased to 5-7 days. Oil companies have stated that only 15% gas is available, which can only be used for emergency services and households. In such a situation, a major gas crisis could emerge across the state from Thursday. Meanwhile, after oil companies’ supply, commercial cylinders will only be available to hospitals, army-police canteens, railway station and airport canteens, and bus stand eateries. However, the food department will need to provide a list to oil companies according to requirements. On the other hand, hotels, marriage gardens, jewelry craftsmen along with Bhopal and Indore Metro will not receive commercial cylinders. Metro work is ongoing in both cities, where LPG is used for welding. Stock is so limited that it will barely last 48 hours Bhopal Hotel Association’s Tejkul Pal Singh Pali says that there are more than 1,500 hotels and restaurants in the capital alone. Where 2 to 2.5 thousand cylinders are used every day. Hotels or restaurants that have stock will barely manage for 48 hours. After this, hotels and restaurants will close. The government has been requested to supply commercial gas cylinders to hotels, restaurants and street vendors, but the government has only agreed to provide gas for emergency services. Claim – No problem in domestic cylinder supply, Reality – Long waiting Officials are claiming there is no problem with domestic gas cylinder supply, but in reality there is a long waiting period. There are long waiting times across the entire state including Bhopal, Indore, Ujjain, Gwalior, and Jabalpur. Crowds were seen for this in Bhopal’s Area No. 5. There has even been a rush for cylinders in the TT Nagar area. In Indore, amid the commercial cylinder crisis, food department officials have emphasized using traditional fuels like wood, dung cakes, and coal. Meanwhile in Bhopal too, there is talk of using diesel furnaces. Bhopal’s Food Controller Chandrabhan Singh Jadoun says that new government directives have come. The supply system is arranged accordingly. Now cylinder booking can only be done after 25 days. Crowds are gathering outside agencies due to server issues and people stocking 1-2 cylinders. Problems regarding weddings More than 20,000 weddings are to take place in March in the state. These use commercial cylinders, but they have not been available for 3 days. Due to this, difficulties are arising in cooking food at weddings.
There are 3,000 jewelry artisans in Bhopal. They need 9,000 cylinders per month. Pulses, Spices and Dry Fruits Become Expensive Due to Iran-Israel War Impact The impact of the Iran-Israel war is also visible in Bhopal’s markets. Vivek Sahu, General Secretary of Bhopal Grocery Traders Federation and former spokesperson of CAT, said that pulses continue to show an upward trend. Green moong has increased by about 100 rupees per quintal, masoor by 100 rupees, chickpeas by 150 rupees, moong mogar by approximately 125 rupees, and chana dal by about 100 rupees per quintal. Meanwhile, toor dal prices have also recorded an increase of about 200 to 300 rupees per quintal. There is also an upward trend in the spice market. According to wholesale trader Anil Kukreja, chili has become expensive by about Rs 50 per kg and coriander by about Rs 40 per kg. According to wholesale dry fruit trader Kishore Rajdev, pistachios have become expensive by about Rs 250 per kg, figs by Rs 100 per kg, saffron by about Rs 20,000 per kg and cinnamon by about Rs 5 per kg. Materials come through Iran According to the General Secretary of Bhopal Grocery Traders Federation, many dry fruits including pistachios, figs, and dal chini (cinnamon) come to India through Iran. Therefore, international conditions have directly affected their prices. Meanwhile, some products exported from India are also seeing a decline in prices. Coconut powder has become cheaper by about 50 rupees, makhana (fox nuts) by 100 rupees, and green cardamom by approximately 200 rupees per kilogram. Motilal Advani, associated with the packaging trade, said that due to the increase in crude oil prices, raw materials have become expensive, resulting in an increase of up to 50 percent in the rates of packaging-related items. As a result, most plastic-based packaging items have become more expensive. Impact on Oil Prices Edible oil broker Ramakant Tiwari and Food Oil and Sugar Organization Secretary General Krishna Kumar Bangad said that there is also an upward trend in the edible oil market. Soybean oil prices have recorded an increase of up to 14 rupees per kilo in about 15 days. Meanwhile, the price of 15-liter jar of groundnut oil has increased from around 2120 rupees to 2650 rupees. However, due to reduced demand for mustard oil in summer season, its rates are currently stable. State Government Claims Supply is Normal, No Need to Panic During the Cabinet meeting held on Tuesday amid cylinder supply, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav gave directions to monitor the availability of petrol-diesel and gas. Minister Chaitanya Kashyap said that there is adequate stock of petroleum products in the state. Domestic gas supply is normal. The government has appealed to avoid rumors spreading on social media and trust only authorized information. Government implements Essential Commodities Act to prevent black marketing Meanwhile, the central government has implemented the ‘Essential Commodities Act 1955’ across the country to prevent hoarding of essential items including gas. Now gas will be divided into 4 categories…. Government took 5 essential steps to deal with the crisis Two major reasons for cylinder supply crisis 1. Near closure of ‘Strait of Hormuz’
The biggest challenge for India is the closure of the ‘Strait of Hormuz’. This is approximately 167 km long waterway that connects the Persian Gulf to the Arabian Sea. Due to the Iran war, this route is no longer safe. Given the risks, no oil tankers are passing through there. 20% of the world’s petroleum passes through here. Countries like Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Kuwait also depend on it for their exports. India imports 50% of its crude oil needs and 54% of LNG through this route. Iran itself exports through this route. 2. LNG production stopped due to drone attack on plant Last week, the US-Israel struck Iran. In response, Iran has targeted American bases in countries like UAE, Qatar, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. After Iran’s drone attack, Qatar, the largest gas supplier to India, has stopped production at its LNG plant. This has reduced gas supply to India. India imports 40% of its LNG needs (about 27 million tons annually) from Qatar. Indian Oil (LPG) Manager said – Considering getting cargo from America Indian Oil’s Chief General Manager (LPG) KM Thakur says that customers need not panic. Do not do panic booking. The government is now considering importing alternative cargo from countries like America. Meanwhile, G7 countries at the international level are discussing releasing supply from their emergency oil reserves to reduce the energy crisis in the global market. Additional crude oil is also expected from Russia and Algeria.