KTR seeks Centre’s urgent intervention as LPG crisis deepens

BRS working president KT Rama Rao has written to Union Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri highlighting a severe shortage of commercial LPG cylinders in Telangana. He warned that nearly 90 per cent of hotels and eateries in Hyderabad could shut down within 48 hours if supply is not restored.

Hyderabad: Flagging a worsening LPG supply crisis and raising questions over the handling of the situation, BRS working president KT Rama Rao wrote to Union Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri seeking urgent intervention to restore an uninterrupted supply of commercial and domestic LPG. He warned that the absence of a clear allocation and monitoring mechanism was deepening panic across sectors.

In a three-page letter on Thursday, Rama Rao said the shortage of commercial LPG cylinders had reached crisis proportions and the lack of transparent supply data was triggering hoarding, black marketing and uncertainty among businesses. He stated that oil marketing companies possess real-time distribution data, but it was not being made public, leaving hotels, hostels, small eateries and service establishments unable to plan operations.

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The former Minister said nearly 90 per cent of hotels and eateries in Hyderabad and across Telangana could face a shutdown within 48 hours, if the supply is not restored. He pointed out that PG hostels, student accommodations and corporate cafeterias were already cutting meals due to lack of cylinders.

Appreciating the Centre for appointing a committee of Oil Marketing Company executives, Rama Rao urged the Centre to create a public real-time dashboard showing commercial LPG availability by district, introduce a tiered allocation system prioritising small establishments, freeze commercial cylinder prices during the crisis, and launch enforcement drives against diversion of domestic cylinders into the black market.

The BRS working president also sought protected LPG allocation for PG hostels and student accommodation, declaration of crematoriums as essential services for fuel supply, an advisory for temporary work-from-home in large corporate campuses to reduce demand, and preparation of relief measures for daily-wage workers in the hospitality sector affected by closures.

Stating that the burden of a supply disruption should not fall on small businesses and workers, he asked the Union government to issue immediate directions to oil marketing companies and the committee formed to review the shortage.