Meghalaya gets LPG relief as Centre raises LPG allocation to 70%: Official

Shillong, Mar 30: The Centre's recent decision to increase commercial LPG allocation to 70% of the previous levels in all states will help Meghalaya cope with the cooking gas crisis, a state government said, on Monday.

Director of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Saloni Verma said the enhanced allocation follows ongoing discussions with the Government of India and a review of the situation across states.

"Commercial LPG supply has now been increased to 70% of the previous allocation level for all states, including Meghalaya. This will significantly ease the situation for tourism operators, dhabas, restaurants and hotels," she said.

Verma also asserted that domestic LPG distribution remains unaffected, though queues of consumers were reported before gas agency offices in various parts of the state.

The Centre had imposed a 20% cut in commercial LPG supply from March 11 due to disruptions in imports linked to the situation in the Middle East, which had affected availability across several states.

Meghalaya requires around 1,000 commercial LPG cylinders per day, but following the reduction, supply had then dropped sharply, affecting services in hotels, dhabas and restaurants.

Officials said that the situation is improving gradually and, in the last three days, around 400 cylinders have been supplied daily following the revised allocation.

Verma said essential services such as hospitals and educational institutions have continued to receive full LPG supply during the period.

On domestic cooking gas, she maintained that there has been no disruption in supply.

Prior to the shortage, the state distributed around 6,000-7,000 cylinders per day, and even after March 11, supply has remained in the range of 5,000-7,000 cylinders daily.

Addressing concerns over long queues at LPG distribution points, Verma said these were primarily due to the ongoing e-KYC process required for obtaining de-duplication certificates for new connections.

"The verification process has been introduced by oil companies to prevent hoarding and duplication. The queues are largely due to this exercise and not because of any shortage of domestic LPG," she said.

Between March 25 and 27, the state distributed 22,094 domestic LPG cylinders, the official added.

"We have constituted District LPG Monitoring Committees as well as a State Level LPG Monitoring Committee, which are closely monitoring the situation to ensure smooth supply," she said.

PTI