‘Centre not responding’: Home minister Parameshwara slams Centre over LPG shortage

BENGALURU: Home Minister G Parameshwara on Saturday accused the central government of failing to respond to the state’s urgent requests for increased fuel and LPG allocations amid the ongoing West Asia conflict.

Speaking to reporters, Parameshwara stated that the state government has formally approached the Centre to demand its fair share of resources, alleging that the Union government is deliberately withholding necessary LPG allocations.

“The state has already written a letter to the Centre regarding this. We have asked them to give us the allocation we deserve. The Centre does not want us to be given an LPG allocation. We do not want one thing to happen to another. The CM also spoke yesterday. The Central Government is not responding to our request”, Parameshwara said.

The Home Minister further suggested that the Chief Minister might appoint a dedicated representative to resolve the supply crisis following the conclusion of the ongoing elections. “After the elections, the CM may probably assign someone to handle this problem”, he added.

#WATCH | Karnataka: A long queue of autorickshaws seen at an Auto LPG Dispensing Station in Bengaluru as autodrivers wait to get their vehicles refuelled.

The Government of India has assured that there is an adequate availability of petrol, diesel, LPG, and PNG across the… pic.twitter.com/JDYwIoQKoe

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In March, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah wrote to Union Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, seeking urgent intervention to tackle the severe shortage of commercial LPG in Bengaluru, which has disrupted supply and livelihoods across the state.

In a post on X, CM Siddaramaiah wrote, the state is currently receiving just 1,000 cylinders per day against a demand of around 50,000, forcing businesses and hotels to halt operations despite government measures to prioritise supply for essential sectors.

“I have written to the Union Petroleum Minister Hardeep Puri seeking urgent intervention to address the severe shortage of commercial LPG in Bengaluru, which is impacting supply and livelihoods across Karnataka,” Karnataka CM said.

He added, “The State Government has already taken steps to regulate and prioritise supply for essential sectors. However, with demand at around 50,000 cylinders and supply limited to just 1,000 per day, the situation remains critical – forcing businesses and hotels to shut down. I have requested immediate allocation support to ensure adequate availability of commercial and auto LPG for Karnataka.”

Meanwhile, Food and Civil Supplies Minister K H Muniyappa reiterated that there is no “actual” shortage for domestic or public transport needs. The government directed IndianOil to ramp up daily sales (currently at 59.53 Metric Tonnes per day). It warned private distributors against black marketing and unauthorised price hikes, as well as established district-level monitoring committees to conduct raids on hoarding sites.

The Government of India on Saturday also issued a strong assurance to the public, confirming the adequate availability of petrol, diesel, LPG, and PNG across the country. (ANI)