BENGALURU: To ensure transparency in the supply of commercial LPG (liquified petroleum gas) cylinders amid the ongoing supply crunch, Food and Civil Supplies Minister KH Muniyappa told the Council on Monday that hotels and commercial establishments must register with the Gas Authority of India (GAIL) within a week for them to get the supplies.
Of nearly 45,000 commercial cylinders required by the state every day, 16,105 were being supplied, of which 10,000 would be allocated to hotels, he added.
Mentioning that he held a meeting with oil marketing companies, Muniyappa said 4,200 commercial cylinders are being supplied to educational institutions and hospitals on priority and 1,200 to airports, Railways and bus stations.
He said the earlier allocation of 1,000 commercial cylinders to hotels was not enough and now it will be increased to 10,000 cylinders. Even then, only 20% of their regular usage can be met, he admitted.
He told hotel owners that without GAIL registration, it would be difficult to supply cylinders. This is to prevent misuse and assess the demand. As of now, GAIL has made a provision to register only 5 lakh businesses and the limit would be extended in the coming days, he added.
He told the House that there is no problem with the domestic cylinder supply and residences in urban areas are being given cylinders 25 days after booking and in rural areas, by 40 days.
Congress MLC Ivan D’Souza complained that because of the shortage of commercial cylinders, hotels have increased prices. He demanded that the government at least supply firewood.
Muniyappa replied, “We should learn from Mahatma Gandhi’s ideal of leading a self-reliant life and not depending on foreign land. 70 per cent of the oil demand is met through imports. We should increase solar energy, green energy and biogas. The then UPA government at the Centre had formulated policies towards that and the current government is continuing with them.”
HIGH COURT JUNKS BHA PLEA ON LPG SUPPLY, SAYS IT’S POLICY DECISION
BENGALURU: The Karnataka High Court on Monday declined to entertain a petition filed by the Bangalore Hotels’ Association (BHA) and four others seeking its directions for uninterrupted supply of commercial LPG cylinders to hotels and restaurants in the city. Justice Sachin Shankar Magadum disposed of the petition taking cognisance of the order and observations made by the Bombay High Court on the same issue and the policy decision taken by the government in view of global uncertainty.
Justice Magadum said the courts are not equipped to interfere with the policies of the executives. However, he suggested to the petitioners to participate in the meetings with Food and Civil Supplies Minister KH Muniyappa on steps to address the issue and apprise him of their situation.
The petitioners alleged that there are about 40,000 hotels in the city with six lakh labourers. The Natural Gas (supply regulation) Order, 2026, issued by the Union government in response to the conflict in West Asia and a policy framed by the state government led to disruption of supply of LPG.