New Delhi: After the eateries industry was hit with a shortage of commercial LPG cylinders amid the Middle East crisis. Now, the government has announced
an additional 20 per cent quota of commercial LPG cylinders.
The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas confirmed that the additional allocation will give priority to the restaurants, dhabas, hotels, canteens, food processing, and food outlets run by local and state governments.
The small portable cylinder of 5kg will also be available for migrant workers. The announcement will be available from Monday, March 23. The government also ordered that the eateries have to register themselves with the oil marketing company, detailing the end use of the gas, and also register for a piped gas connection to avail themselves of an additional allocation of the commercial LPG cylinders.
“OMCs shall register such customers and keep a record of the sector they operate in, the end-use of LPG, and the annual weight requirement of that customer in the respective databases,” Neerja Mittal, petroleum secretary, stated.
Mittal also added that consumers will have to take necessary steps to demonstrate readiness for PNG before becoming eligible for additional LPG allocation.
Earlier, a report came up stating nearly 30 per cent eateries have been shut down due to a shortage of commercial LPG cylinders, while several cut down the operating hours. With additional allocation, the situation is now improving amid geopolitical conditions.
This week, 7,300 households shifted from LPG to PNG, while, as of Thursday, 12,700 new PNG connections had been issued.
As the conflict in West Asia rises, the government prioritised the sale of domestic LPG rather than the commercial cylinders, which ultimately allows only 20 per cent of the average monthly requirement. Later, the government added an additional 10 per cent allocation to the states. Nearly 90 per cent of the LPG requirement is sourced from West Asia.
