Patna: A growing shortage of cooking gas has left thousands of households in Patna waiting for deliveries, with a backlog of more than 42,000 LPG cylinders piling up within just two days, according to official data.
Figures compiled by local gas agencies show that pending bookings rose sharply from 151,381 cylinders on March 16 to 193,581 by March 18, highlighting the strain on supply chains in the state capital. The backlog affects a significant share of the city’s 1.66 million consumers, with roughly one in every eleven households currently awaiting delivery.
The shortage appears to have eased slightly over the past 24 hours, however, as the number of new bookings dipped by around 1,000 compared with the previous day, suggesting a marginal slowdown in demand.
The crisis has unfolded despite incremental increases in supply by the three public sector fuel retailers—Indian Oil Corporation Limited, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited. Combined deliveries rose from 32,000 cylinders on March 16 to 34,049 by March 18 —an increase of just over 2,000 units, insufficient to offset the surge in demand.
Officials say efforts are under way to ramp up distribution. The district magistrate, Dr Thiyagarajan, has urged Indian Oil Corporation Limited to raise its daily supply to the city beyond the current level of around 20,000 cylinders. He has also suggested diverting stock from lower-demand regions to prioritise urban households ahead of the upcoming festive season.
The dependence on Indian Oil is particularly pronounced in Patna, where it operates 73 of the district’s 136 gas agencies and serves nearly 960,000 consumers—more than the combined customer base of the other two companies.
While authorities are attempting to stabilise supply, the pace of deliveries continues to lag behind demand, leaving many residents uncertain about when their next cylinder will arrive.
