NT Reporter
Ponda/Mapusa
Residents in Ponda and Mapusa witnessed long queues outside gas agencies on Wednesday amid concerns over the availability of LPG cylinders, with many people rushing to secure supplies following rumours of a shortage.
In Ponda taluka, residents gathered in large numbers outside the Bharat Gas office for bookings, fearing that LPG cylinders would not be available. Hoteliers and restaurant owners also reported that their gas supply had been reduced to about 50 per cent of their required capacity, which they said had affected their business. Some restaurants said that commercial LPG cylinders were out of stock and that they were considering shutting operations for two days.
Officials from the Goa State Cooperative Marketing and Supply Federation said there was no shortage of LPG cylinders and attributed the situation to technical issues related to the booking process. They said that earlier bookings were done without OTP generation, but after the introduction of an OTP-based booking system, queries had arisen during
the transition.
Officials said that cylinders would be delivered to customers who had completed bookings through the OTP system and received confirmation.
Congress leader Ketan Bhatikar alleged that residents in Ponda were facing difficulty in obtaining LPG cylinders.
In Mapusa, residents from the town and surrounding areas rushed to a gas agency office to buy cylinders, resulting in long queues outside the premises. The
rush followed rumours of a possible shortage, which led several households to book or collect cylinders
in advance.
Some residents said repeated attempts to contact the agency had failed, prompting them to visit
the office directly to book or collect cylinders. Others
said they had come to the warehouse after booking
as deliveries had not yet
been received.
The local gas distributor attributed the rush to rumours about a shortage of LPG supply. The distributor said there were certain restrictions on commercial and five-kg cylinders but stated that domestic cylinders were available in adequate numbers in the state.
The distributor added that regular home delivery for domestic customers would continue, and bookings would have to be made online through the OTP-based system.
