Shimla: Panic and anger are brewing among residents of Shimla as several LPG gas agencies in the city have allegedly stopped accepting bookings and are not responding to consumer calls, triggering fears of an artificial shortage of domestic cooking gas.
Residents from BCS, New Shimla and adjoining areas have accused agencies—particularly Uttam Indnae Gas Agency in BCS, New Shimla—of deliberately blocking online bookings and ignoring repeated calls from consumers seeking LPG cylinder refills.
For over a year, the agency had been accepting bookings through a WhatsApp call number and phone line, but both have suddenly stopped working.
Consumers say neither the agency’s General Manager nor the owner is answering calls, leaving households, especially homemakers, in a state of distress.
“This has created a fear psychosis in the city. No one is picking up the calls and the booking system has simply stopped,” complained a housewife from Kangnadhar who has been trying unsuccessfully to book a cylinder for the past several days.
Residents allege that the crisis is not due to any actual shortage of LPG but because of the arbitrary functioning of gas agencies that are allegedly hoarding cylinders and diverting supplies.
The accusations come despite a recent clarification by Deputy Commissioner Shimla Anupam Kashyap, who categorically stated that there is no shortage of domestic LPG in the district and warned that hoarding, stockpiling or denying service to consumers would invite strict action and heavy penalties.
However, locals claim that some gas agency owners are prioritising commercial clients—such as PG accommodations, coaching centres, restaurants and hotels—while domestic consumers are left stranded.
With the tourist season around the corner, residents suspect that agencies are allegedly stockpiling cylinders to sell them at higher rates to commercial establishments, creating an artificial scarcity for ordinary households.
“This is sheer greed. Domestic consumers are being ignored while commercial users are getting priority because they generate more profit,” alleged residents.
Citizens have now demanded urgent intervention by the Shimla administration, calling for strict punitive action against erring gas agencies.
They have also urged authorities to investigate the role of the agencies supplying LPG under the Indian Oil Corporation and Hindustan Petroleum network and other oil marketing companies responsible for monitoring LPG distribution in Himachal Pradesh.
Residents have further demanded that the administration revoke any restrictions on LPG bookings immediately and restore normal booking services across all gas agencies in the city.
People have warned that if authorities fail to act swiftly, the situation could spiral into a full-blown crisis in the hill town, just as the tourist influx begins and demand for essential supplies surges.
For now, citizens are waiting for the district administration to move beyond assurances and crack down on gas agencies mainly Uttam Indane Gas in BCS accused of playing with the daily lifeline of households in Shimla.
