Kolhapur district supply officer urge residents to not fall for rumours amid long queues outside gas agencies; commercial establishments stare at bleak future

Kolhapur: District supply officer Mohini Chavan on Tuesday urged residents not to panic or queue up outside gas agencies based on rumours as her office was closely tracking the distribution and availability of gas cylinders and petrol, conducting daily inspections in light of the ongoing conflict in Gulf countries."Domestic gas cylinders have been prioritised and adequate supplies are reaching the district. Citizens should avoid crowding the agencies. Once booked, cylinders will continue to be delivered to homes as per the rules. Distribution of commercial cylinders used in hotels, restaurants, and foundries has been halted," Chavan said.India imports gas from Qatar, where the conflict has disrupted supply, prompting Union govt to impose restrictions. As a result, commercial cylinder distribution has been stopped, and only domestic LPG is being supplied. Firms have extended the booking window to 25 days. In the district, gas distribution is handled by IOCL, HPCL and BPCL, which account for 11,91,633 connections.On Tuesday, long queues were seen outside gas agencies in Kolhapur city. Surekha Chavan, waiting at a Rajarampuri agency, said, "I have been calling the agency for the last three days, but its phone is switched off. People are saying there is a shortage, so I came personally. I had booked my cylinder five days ago."Hotels and restaurants warned that if the situation continued, they might have to revert to firewood-based cooking or even shut down operations. Sachin Shanbhag, president of the Hotel Owners' Association, said, "Union govt's decision has put the hotel industry on ventilator. We met district collector Amol Yedge and requested rationing of commercial cylinders so we can at least serve tourists visiting for Goddess Mahalaxmi's darshan. Events like weddings were planned months in advance. How can we refuse at the last moment? If hotels shut down, how will we pay our staff?"Speaking on the shortage, MLC Satej Patil, leader of opposition in the legislative council, criticised Union govt, saying: "Restrictions on commercial gas usage have hit the common man. People might soon have to cook on firepits. Two months ago, the Union minister claimed 74% stock was available. Fifteen days later, however, it dropped to 24%. Now oil firms are being told to increase production. But without raw material, how can they? This is a complete governance failure."