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KTR Urges Centre to Address LPG Shortage in Telangana
Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president K. T. Rama Rao has urged the central government to take immediate steps to address a severe shortage of commercial LPG cylinders in Telangana, warning that the situation could force many restaurants and food establishments to shut down.
In a letter to Union Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, Rama Rao highlighted the growing crisis and called for urgent intervention to ensure uninterrupted LPG supply across the state.
The former minister stated that nearly 90 percent of hotels, eateries and food businesses in Hyderabad could be forced to suspend operations within 48 hours if the supply disruption continues. He added that the shortage has already affected hostels, small restaurants and corporate cafeterias, some of which have begun reducing meal services.
Rama Rao also raised concerns about the lack of transparency in the distribution system. According to him, oil marketing companies have access to real-time supply and distribution data but have not made it publicly available, leading to uncertainty and panic among businesses.
He warned that the shortage was encouraging hoarding and black-market activity involving LPG cylinders.
To address the issue, Rama Rao suggested several measures, including the creation of a public real-time dashboard showing LPG availability across districts, prioritised allocation for small businesses and hostels, and strict enforcement against diversion of domestic cylinders into commercial use.
He also proposed temporarily freezing commercial LPG prices during the crisis and providing relief measures for daily-wage workers in the hospitality sector who may lose income if restaurants shut down.
The BRS leader said the burden of supply disruptions should not fall on small businesses and workers.
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