Shortage of cooking gas hits households, businesses in Haryana's Sirsa

Residents and businesses in Sirsa have faced difficulties over the past week due to irregular supply of domestic and commercial gas cylinders, leading to long queues outside gas agencies. On Monday, dozens of consumers lined up early in the morning, but many left empty-handed. Agencies remained closed on Sunday for a scheduled holiday, causing further inconvenience.

Bhupendra Gupta, owner of Bhupendra Gas Agency, said supply was halted on Sunday due to the holiday and staff shortage, including drivers, but resumed normally on Monday.

Following complaints about the shortage, Harveer Singh, District Food, Civil Supplies, and Consumer Controller, inspected agencies, including Haryana Gas Service, Kasoli Gas Service, and Bhupendra Gas Service. He said stocks were adequate and the domestic supply was running normally. Singh appealed to the residents not to believe in rumours and to pay only the official rate. He added that any overcharging should be reported to the department.

However, the supply of commercial gas cylinders has remained disrupted for the past week, affecting hotels, restaurants, roadside eateries, and small businesses. The district food and supply department is forming a committee to restore commercial cylinder distribution.

Small vendors near colleges have reported a sharp drop in business. Street food stalls selling fast food have reduced operations by around 70 per cent, while sweets shops and other eateries have seen sales fall by 25-35 per cent.

The shortage has also impacted community kitchens in the city’s grain market. Farmers and labourers who rely on these services have been inconvenienced. Operators of the Hari Bhojan free kitchen on Dabwali Road said commercial cylinders were being sold on the black market for Rs 2,000-3,000, making it difficult to continue operations.

Some shopkeepers have started using diesel stoves to cope with the shortage. Neeraj Kumar, owner of Bhanu Pakode on Shiv Chowk, said he had to close his shop for a day due to the lack of gas and later spent around Rs 15,000 to instal a diesel stove. Similarly, Vikram, who runs Jitendra Pakodewala, reported that customer traffic had halved and blowers for diesel stoves were scarce in the market.