Shimla: Panic and anger are brewing among residents of Shimla as several LPG gas agencies in the city have allegedly stopped accepting bookings and are not responding to consumer calls, triggering fears of an artificial shortage of domestic cooking gas.
Residents from BCS, New Shimla and adjoining areas have accused agencies—particularly Uttam Indnae Gas Agency in BCS, New Shimla—of deliberately blocking online bookings and ignoring repeated calls from consumers seeking LPG cylinder refills.
For over a year, the agency had been accepting bookings through a WhatsApp call number and phone line, but both have suddenly stopped working.
Consumers say neither the agency’s General Manager nor the owner is answering calls, leaving households, especially homemakers, in a state of distress.
“This has created a fear psychosis in the city. No one is picking up the calls and the booking system has simply stopped,” complained a housewife from Kangnadhar who has been trying unsuccessfully to book a cylinder for the past several days.
Residents allege that the crisis is not due to any actual shortage of LPG but because of the arbitrary functioning of gas agencies that are allegedly hoarding cylinders and diverting supplies.
The accusations come despite a recent clarification by Deputy Commissioner Shimla Anupam Kashyap, who categorically stated that there is no shortage of domestic LPG in the district and warned that hoarding, stockpiling or denying service to consumers would invite strict action and heavy penalties.
However, locals claim that some gas agency owners are prioritising commercial clients—such as PG accommodations, coaching centres, restaurants and hotels—while domestic consumers are left stranded.
With the tourist season around the corner, residents suspect that agencies are allegedly stockpiling cylinders to sell them at higher rates to commercial establishments, creating an artificial scarcity for ordinary households.
“This is sheer greed. Domestic consumers are being ignored while commercial users are getting priority because they generate more profit,” alleged residents.
Citizens have now demanded urgent intervention by the Shimla administration, calling for strict punitive action against erring gas agencies.
They have also urged authorities to investigate the role of the agencies supplying LPG under the Indian Oil Corporation and Hindustan Petroleum network and other oil marketing companies responsible for monitoring LPG distribution in Himachal Pradesh.
Residents have further demanded that the administration revoke any restrictions on LPG bookings immediately and restore normal booking services across all gas agencies in the city.
People have warned that if authorities fail to act swiftly, the situation could spiral into a full-blown crisis in the hill town, just as the tourist influx begins and demand for essential supplies surges.
Panic Over LPG? Centre Urges Calm, But Shimla Consumers Cry Foul as Agency Stops Online Booking
Even as the Government of India has urged citizens not to panic and avoid bulk booking of LPG cylinders, consumers in Shimla claim that the ground reality tells a very different story. Residents allege that some private LPG agencies have themselves triggered chaos by halting digital booking facilities, forcing people to queue up physically for refills.
The Centre on Saturday issued an advisory asking citizens to avoid panic bookings of LPG cylinders and instead rely on digital modes for booking to prevent crowding at LPG agencies. The government reiterated that its highest priority is to ensure uninterrupted supply of domestic LPG across the country. Officials also said that domestic LPG production has increased by about 31 percent, adding that state governments and Union Territories have been asked to keep a close watch on hoarding and black marketing of essential commodities.
However, in Shimla, consumers say the situation on the ground is the exact opposite of what the advisory suggests.
Residents have complained that private LPG agencies have reportedly stopped accepting online bookings, forcing customers to physically visit agency offices. This has led to long queues and growing anxiety among households already worried about supply disruptions.
Particularly under the scanner is Uttam Indane Gas Agency, where consumers allege that online booking has been abruptly stopped, leaving hundreds of customers struggling to register refill requests.
Local residents argue that such practices defeat the government’s own call to rely on digital booking systems to prevent crowding. “If the government says use online booking, why are agencies shutting it down?” asked an agitated consumer waiting outside the agency.
Many consumers have demanded strict action against erring distributors and have even called for invoking the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) against agencies that disrupt supply or create artificial bottlenecks.
Civil society members say stopping online booking during a sensitive supply period not only fuels panic but can also open the door to hoarding, black marketing and preferential supply.
With the Centre clearly stating that there is no shortage of domestic LPG, residents are now demanding that district authorities intervene immediately, restore digital booking systems and ensure that private distributors do not hold consumers hostage.
For a city already grappling with supply anxieties, citizens say the real question is simple: If there is no shortage, why are consumers being made to run from pillar to post for a cylinder?
For now, citizens are waiting for the district administration to move beyond assurances and crack down on gas agencies mainly Uttam Indane Gas in BCS accused of playing with the daily lifeline of households in Shimla.
