AA Edit | Crack Down on LPG Hoarders

The emerging shortage of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) — also called cooking gas — across the country is a stark reminder of how deeply geopolitical tensions can intrude into everyday domestic life. It also highlights the pitfalls of acute dependence on an imported commodity.

Though the Narendra Modi government dismissed concerns about a shortage of gas supply and asked people against stocking up cylinders in panic, it has invoked the Essential Commodities Act (ECA), which gives emergency powers to the government to ration a particular commodity — a move that increased panic among all sections of society.

Reports from different cities indicate that both domestic and commercial LPG cylinders have become difficult to obtain. Hotels, roadside eateries, caterers and small food businesses are among the worst affected.

Commercial cylinders are reportedly being sold in the black market for as high as Rs 3,000 to Rs 3,500, placing enormous strain on small eateries whose margins are already thin. Hostels have stopped providing tea, coffee, chapatis to their inmates, affecting the migrant communities the most.

The Narendra Modi government’s flagship Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) has the rural adoption of LPG gas by adding over 10.35 crore families. While the intent of the scheme was good, which is to provide clean fuel for cooking, it has exposed these families to the LPG shortage.

The immediate focus of the government should be on preventing hoarding and black marketing. However, in the medium term, the government should encourage people to diversify cooking energy sources and move towards green power.

For now, however, the priority must be clear: Stabilise supply, protect consumers and restore confidence. Cooking gas is not a luxury commodity — it is a daily necessity. Ensuring its availability is essential for both economic activity and everyday social life.