Pune:The state govt expanded the priority list for LPG allocation on Friday to include several additional sectors. However, dealers and commercial users said the move is yet to translate into improved supply, with many still facing acute shortages despite the revised order.The latest notification added migrant workers (using 5-kg FTL cylinder refills), corporate and industrial canteens, corporate guest houses, food processing units, the dairy industry, and govt/PSU-linked manufacturing and services to the priority list. These sectors join those already covered in a March 14 order, such as hospitals, educational institutions, crematoriums, defence establishments, railways, and the pharmaceutical industry.
Despite the expanded list, LPG dealers in Pune said they have not received sufficient stock from oil companies to meet the demands of the newly added categories. “The notification has widened the list on paper, but cylinders are still not being released in adequate numbers,” said one dealer. “Commercial supply remains restricted, and we cannot cater to new sectors unless we receive additional allocation from the oil companies.”Another dealer noted that while some agencies have received a limited quota for specific clients, the supply is being rationed based on past consumption. “In these cases, we are only able to supply roughly half of the average monthly requirement. While my agency did receive some stock for newly added sectors on Saturday and delivered it immediately, the availability remains uneven across the city,” he added.Lack of consistent supply has left operators of corporate and industrial kitchens without relief.Aditi Ambavane, a partner at a corporate catering firm supplying manufacturing units and clinical research centers, said none of their industrial kitchens had received fresh supplies following the update. “Several kitchens in industrial hubs like Chakan depend on daily deliveries. Even a short disruption affects thousands of meals,” she said. “Some dealers are not responding to calls, while others say they simply haven’t received stock. The small quantities being offered are far below our daily requirements.”Vinit Kamble, a caterer serving industrial workers in Chakan, echoed these concerns, stating that agencies claim fresh stock for the newly prioritised sectors has not yet arrived from the companies.The shortage is already forcing some businesses to adopt drastic measures. Kiran Shevakari, who runs a large paying-guest facility and supplies meals to factory workers in the Chakan-MIDC area, said the crisis has forced a return to primitive methods. “The shortage has forced me to switch to coal stoves. When I contacted my LPG agency on Saturday following the new order, I was told there were still no supplies available for my sector,” Shevakari said..”
