INDIA FACES COOKING GAS SHORTAGE

NEW DELHI, March 10 (Bernama-Xinhua) -- Indian lawmakers on Tuesday voiced concern over a shortage of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), with several areas – particularly in the southern state of Karnataka and the western state of Maharashtra – adversely affected, reported Xinhua.

The cooking gas shortage was said to be a spillover effect of the ongoing conflict in West Asia, according to local media reports.

Only a couple of days ago, the cost of a domestic LPG cylinder increased by 60 Indian Rupees (nearly US$0.65), and a commercial LPG cylinder by 115 Indian Rupees (nearly US$1.25).

Hotels and restaurants were adversely hit by the LPG cylinder shortage, local media reported. India Today carried an online report titled "LPG shortage shuts 20 per cent of Mumbai hotels and restaurants."

Tejasvi Surya, a lawmaker from the country's main ruling party, the Bharatiya Janata Party, has written a letter to federal Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, urging him to ensure continuity of LPG supply to the restaurant and hospitality sector.

He also highlighted the Bangalore Hotels Association's plight over LPG supply.

Reacting to the LPG shortage arising in the country, Jebi Mather, a lawmaker from the main opposition party, the Indian National Congress, told reporters in New Delhi, "Hoteliers of Chennai, Bengaluru and Pune have openly said that they do not have LPG, and they need to shut down their hotels. This is the case with the rest of the country. We are worried."

Meanwhile, taking a stern note of the arising situation, the Indian government on Tuesday invoked the "Essential Commodities Act, 1955" in order to regulate the availability, supply and equitable distribution of petroleum and petroleum products and natural gas.

In an official order, the federal government also directed the refineries and petrochemical units to maximise production of LPG and divert key hydrocarbon streams to the LPG pool.

--BERNAMA-XINHUA