Nearly 57% of Indian households reported delays in receiving LPG
cylinders or incidents of black marketing over the past week, raising
concerns about possible supply disruptions linked to geopolitical
tensions in West Asia, according to a survey.
The survey, conducted by LocalCircles, collected more than 57,000
responses from household consumers across 309 districts in India.
Among respondents, 61% were men and 39% were women. About 40% of
participants were from Tier-1 districts, 27% from Tier-2 districts,
and 33%from Tier-3, Tier-4, and Tier-5 districts.
According to the survey findings, 57% of respondents experienced
delays in LPG cylinder delivery or instances of black marketing during
the past week.
When asked about booking and receiving domestic LPG cylinders over the
last seven days, 43% of respondents said booking and delivery were
normal. However, 29% reported that dealers said cylinders were
unavailable or bookings were delayed.
Additionally, 7% said delivery took longer than usual, while another
7% said they had to repeatedly follow up with dealers to receive their
cylinders. Meanwhile, 14% reported purchasing LPG cylinders from the
black market at higher prices.
The survey also examined whether LPG distributors informed customers
about supply-related problems. Around 53% of respondents said dealers
warned them about possible supply disruptions or delays during the
past week.
Among them 43% said dealers did not mention any issue,32% said dealers
indicated that supply might be delayed, 21% said dealers confirmed an
existing supply shortage while 4% did not give a clear response, the
survey said.
The survey further highlighted the scale of alleged black marketing of
LPG cylinders. According to the findings, 36% of households
experiencing black marketing reported paying extra charges ranging
from Rs 100 to Rs 500 per cylinder.
The survey said that 8% paid up to Rs 100 extra, 11% paid Rs 100– Rs
300 extra, 8% paid Rs 300- Rs 500 extra, while 9% paid more than Rs
500 extra.
Meanwhile, 39% of respondents said there was no black market purchase
in their household or neighbourhood, while 25% did not provide a clear
answer.
The findings highlight growing concerns among consumers about LPG
availability and pricing amid fears of supply disruptions in the
region.