Gangtok: As demand for LPG cylinders rises across the country, panic buying and rationing have been reported in Gangtok. The Food and Civil Supplies Department, however, has assured that there is no shortage of LPG supply in Sikkim, stating that the surge in demand is largely due to panic buying.
Sikkim’s Food and Civil Supplies Minister, Bhoj Raj Rai, said the issue was linked to a technical problem in the national LPG booking system.
“Across the country, LPG cylinder bookings are being processed through a single helpline number that issues OTPs. When people call the helpline, it is often coming as engaged, which is a technical glitch and should be resolved in the next two to three days,” Rai said.
He added that there is no shortage of LPG cylinders or fuel in Sikkim, and that supplies from the Centre are continuing daily. However, due to the OTP issue, many consumers have been unable to complete bookings, leading to panic.
“There is daily supply coming, but with OTPs not being issued, people are panicking. There has been an increase in demand, but the situation should normalise within two to three days,” the minister said.
Managing Director of State Trading Corporation of Sikkim, Lobzang Thendub Bhutia, said the sudden demand for LPG cylinders is mainly due to panic among consumers rather than any disruption in supply.
Bhutia said STCS Gangtok has around 14,000 registered consumers, out of which about 4,000 are inactive, as supply is stopped if a consumer does not take a refill for six months. At present, around 10,000 active consumers are being catered to by STCS, covering areas including Deorali, Bojhoghari, Lumsey, Tadong and Rakdong-Tintek. He also clarified that the recent hike in LPG prices has been implemented by the Ministry of Petroleum, and STCS has no control over the pricing decision.
He also noted that around five to six private LPG distributors are operating in Gangtok, but said he could not confirm whether their supply alone would be sufficient to cater to the entire population of the town.
Bhutia said the recent disruption in LPG bookings was mainly due to a technical glitch in the ISL online portal, which handles booking and distribution. The portal reportedly crashed after receiving an unusually high number of online booking requests, leading to a temporary slowdown in supply.
“For the past two days there were some issues because the distribution system is largely based on online booking. Due to too many bookings, the website crashed and supply slowed down for a while. However, the situation is now gradually normalising,” he said.
He added that panic buying by consumers has contributed to pressure on the distribution system, as many households tend to purchase more cylinders than they actually require. Bhutia suggested that people purchase only one cylinder per card to avoid unnecessary panic buying and ensure smoother distribution. He noted that one LPG cylinder is generally sufficient for a household for a month, but many families already have two to three cylinders at home, which has added to the rush.
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