Bengaluru cafe levies 5% gas crisis charge on bill:Asks customer to pay ₹17 extra on 2 lemonade bottles worth ₹358; bill goes viral

Amid the ongoing LPG crisis across the country, a cafe in Bengaluru charged its customer a 5% ‘Gas Crisis Charge’ on a lemonade bill. After the photo of the cafe receipt went viral on social media platform X, people are giving various reactions to it. According to this viral receipt from Bengaluru’s ‘Theo Cafe’, a customer ordered two mint lemonades. One lemonade was priced at ₹179, so it was ₹358 for two. The cafe first gave a 5% discount of ₹17.90, but then added 5% or ₹17.01 separately as ‘Gas Crisis Charge’ along with standard GST (CGST and SGST). This way the customer’s total bill became ₹374.
As soon as the photo of the bill was shared on X, users criticized the cafe. People questioned what gas is used in making lemonade that warrants charging a ‘crisis fee’ for it? Some users called it a new excuse to loot customers, while others termed it the ‘digital avatar of inflation’. Commercial LPG cylinder supply begins The government has lifted the ban on commercial LPG cylinders. The Ministry of Petroleum announced on Saturday that distribution of commercial cylinders has begun in 29 states and union territories of the country. The government had imposed a ban on commercial cylinder supply on March 9. First Indian ship carrying LPG arrives amid war Amidst the ongoing war between US-Israel and Iran, the LPG carrier ship Shivalik has arrived in India carrying gas from Qatar. The ship reached Gujarat’s Mundra Port on Monday evening at 5 PM. The Shivalik ship is carrying about 46,000 metric tons of LPG, which is equivalent to approximately 32.4 lakh domestic gas cylinders. This ship crossed the Strait of Hormuz on March 14 and departed for India. This is the first LPG ship to reach India amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. According to the Ministry of Shipping, a ship named Nanda Devi carrying about 46 thousand tons of LPG is also coming to India and is expected to arrive tomorrow. Meanwhile, the ship Jag Laadki carrying about 81,000 tons of Murban crude oil is heading towards India and is also expected to reach Mundra port tomorrow. PNG connection holders will not get LPG cylinder If you have a Piped Natural Gas (PNG) connection at your home, you will now have to surrender your LPG cylinder. The Petroleum Ministry has made a major change in supply rules amid the deepening gas crisis in the country. According to the new order, PNG users will neither get a new LPG connection nor get their old cylinder refilled. The government has already issued new rules regarding supply 3 times in 9 days. 4 New Rules for Kitchen Gas Supply LPG Cylinder Booking Rules Changed Three Times Legal action possible for not surrendering connection The new rules have come into effect immediately. The government wants those who have PNG option to give up cylinders so that cylinders can reach those who have no other option. The notification issued on Saturday stated that those who have both connections should immediately surrender the connection by visiting nearby LPG distributor or company portal. No penalty will be imposed on surrender, but legal action may be taken for breaking rules.