With the West Asian crisis-induced LPG shortage continuing in Kerala, the Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Commissioner on Tuesday issued an advisory to the general public and foreign LPG consumers detailing the dos and don’ts and priority sectors.
In case of non-domestic consumers, hospitals, schools including anganwadis, crematoria, industrial canteens, school and college hostels, community kitchens/Subhiksha hotels, retirement homes and orphanages will be considered as priority sectors and 100% availability will be ensured.
Hotels, restaurants, canteens, food processing units, kitchens run by government and local government institutions and migrant workers will be treated as “semi-priority” sectors and will be issued 40% of their actual requirement.
As part of the surveillance measures, inspections will be carried out at gas agencies, hotels, and business establishments. A State Crisis Management Committee chaired by the Chief Secretary has been created. The Commissioner of Civil Supplies will act as the State Nodal Officer.
The public has been advised to avoid hoarding of LPG cylinders and panic bookings and to inform the authorities about misuse, black market or overcharging of cylinders. In the case of commercial consumers, regulation of distribution is inevitable in the present scenario, said Commissioner K. Hima.
Consumers in the non-domestic category such as hotels and restaurants should follow the guidelines issued by the government and ideally switch to green and sustainable options like piped gas (PNG), the government said. They should also explore other options such as using firewood until the crisis is over.
All commercial and industrial LPG consumers have been invited to apply for PNG connection if available in their respective areas. Failure to do so could lead to regulation of LPG in the future, the statement said. A web portal is now in operation to handle extraordinary requests. Requests for emergency LPG (non-domestic) requirements can be submitted through the portal. Applications will be dealt with by the concerned district crisis committees.
“Only in cooperation with the people can this situation be effectively managed,” said the commissioner.
Published – 24 March 2026 23:27 IST
