‘Commercial LPG availability up from 20% to 65-70% now’
Shillong, May 20: Even as supply of domestic LPG has remained stable in Meghalaya, the availability of commercial LPG is around 65-70% of the total requirement in the state.
Informing this on Wednesday, Food Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs Minister Methodius Dkhar ruled out any shortage in domestic LPG cylinders in the state.
He, however, admitted that consumer complaints have persisted although the situation has improved since the early weeks of the ongoing Middle-East conflict.
“In the LPG sector, though there are some complaints or issues here and there… when the war started, in the first 2–3 weeks, there was some panic among citizens. The situation at that time was worse than now. At present, we can say we are in a comfortable situation,” he told reporters.
The minister clarified that grievances related to domestic LPG are linked to regulatory systems, not supply.
“For domestic LPG, I would like to reiterate that there is no shortage. But there is a system in place to regulate distribution. Some beneficiaries find it difficult because of the 25-day booking cycle we have notified — a single cardholder cannot book before 25 days,” he said.
On missing DSC numbers, Dkhar said the issue is often due to outdated records. “What we have found is that some people are not getting their DSC number because their mobile number is not updated in the system, or they may have changed their location.”
He urged affected consumers to use official grievance channels. “In case of such complaints, customers can reach us through WhatsApp — we have a WhatsApp group — or call our toll-free number. They can also visit the gas agency where they have their connection to rectify the issue.”
Dkhar said commercial LPG supply has improved significantly from earlier levels but remains below full demand.
“On the commercial side, there is still some shortage. But we have improved a lot compared to the time when we were getting only 20% of the requirement. Now we are getting around 65 to 70%,” he said.
However, he added that condition is not back to normal.
“We are in a better position regarding LPG, but it’s not like normal days when there was abundance and consumers did not have to go through this process to get LPG.”
