Residents of Nagpur, the second capital of Maharashtra, are grappling with a severe shortage of domestic LPG cylinders. Over the past two weeks, the waiting period from booking to delivery has stretched alarmingly, ranging from a minimum of two days to at least eight days, and in many cases even longer.
Widespread Delays and Growing Tensions
The erratic supply has led to frequent disputes between consumers and gas agency operators across the city. The situation is not uniform, with delivery times varying drastically by locality. While some customers in Nagpur and the wider Vidarbha region are receiving their refill cylinders within a week, others are being forced to wait between 10 and 15 agonizing days.
This is not a new problem but a worsening one. Last month, customers of Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) had to endure even longer waits of 15 to 20 days after booking their refill, pushing household budgets and patience to the limit.
Root Cause: Government's VTS Mandate
Industry sources confirm that the primary reason for this disruption is a recent policy tweak by the central government. The new rule mandates the installation of Vehicle Tracking System (VTS) technology on every LPG supply tanker. This system allows for real-time GPS-like tracking of the vehicles carrying highly flammable material, aiming to enhance safety and oversight.
However, the delay in installing these VTS units on a significant number of tankers has directly disrupted the logistics chain, leading to a sharp decline in domestic gas deliveries across the region.
Supply Chain Struggles in Vidarbha
Gas agency operators provide insight into the scale of the problem. HPCL alone supplies an average of 22,000 metric tonnes of LPG daily across 11 districts in Vidarbha. Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) and Bharat Petroleum (BPCL) supplement this based on their customer numbers. Despite this, the overall supply has dipped in recent days.
The logistics hinge on two key HPCL depots:
- Khapri depot in Nagpur: Requires 35 tankers daily to serve Nagpur, Wardha, Gondia, and Bhandara districts.
- Chandrapur depot: Needs 20 tankers daily for Chandrapur, Gadchiroli, Amravati, and Akola districts.
Both these depots are supplied from Keralapalli in Hyderabad. The new safety measures created severe shortages last month, but recent data suggests the situation is slowly beginning to stabilize as more tankers comply with the VTS mandate.
For now, citizens of Nagpur continue to navigate the daily challenge of managing cooking gas, hoping for a swift and complete normalization of supplies.
