KH Muniyappa. | Photo credit: File photo
Food and Civil Supplies Minister KH Muniyappa has asked hotels, restaurants and other commercial establishments to temporarily adjust their operations, including switching to alternative sources of energy, as the state faces an acute shortage of LPG cylinders for commercial use.
In a statement on the crisis in the Legislative Council on Wednesday (March 18), Mr. Muniyappa said the limited availability of pressure cylinders has made it difficult to meet the demand from restaurants, dhabas, hotels and industries. “We barely have about 1,000 bottles for commercial use. It’s hard to decide how to distribute them,” he said.
The minister said he had called a meeting with the hotel owners and appealed to them to handle it for about a week. “I have asked them to adjust operations, even if it means using electricity. It is a difficult, almost war-like situation and they will have to work together,” he said.
He attributed the shortage to supply constraints domestically and noted that overseas deliveries were being delayed. “The center is in contact with Iran and there are about 16 ships in the queue. Once they are cleared, the situation is expected to calm down,” he said.
Mr. Muniyappa said the government plans to pool the available stock during the week to improve supply. “We will consolidate current stocks and try to increase availability to 10,000-15,000 bottles and have further discussions with stakeholders on distribution,” he said.
Domestic consumers will not be affected
He emphasized that domestic consumers will not be affected. “Household supply is top priority and will not be interrupted under any circumstances. About 3.52 million bottles are consumed daily,” he said.
The minister said that commercial supply has been limited to 20% by the Center against the daily requirement of 44,000 bottles, while about 9,000 bottles are currently being supplied.
Priority is given to essential sectors. About 4,200 bottles are supplied to educational institutions, hostels and hospitals, while about 1,200 bottles are allotted to government establishments, including canteens at airports, railway stations, bus stands and Indira canteens.
A further 500 bottles are provided to critical industries such as seed and food processing, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, fisheries, zoos and sports hostels.
Responding to concerns raised by Congress member Ivan D’Souza about the shortage affecting food supply in the Legislative House, the minister said that temporary arrangements have been made during the ongoing session of the legislature.
Published – 18 March 2026 20:33 IST
