Iran–israel Conflict Deepens Lpg Crisis In Uttar Pradesh; Protests Erupt, Industries Hit | ANI
Lucknow: The ongoing Iran–Israel conflict has begun to disrupt the supply of cooking gas in several districts of Uttar Pradesh, triggering long queues at gas agencies, protests by consumers and disruptions in small industries across the state. Reports from multiple districts indicate that the shortage of domestic LPG cylinders has intensified on Friday. Customers have been gathering outside gas agencies since early morning, and arguments between consumers and agency staff have become frequent as supplies fail to meet demand.In Prayagraj’s Jhunsi area, tensions escalated to the point where police had to be called after a dispute broke out at a gas agency. The agency office was briefly shut amid the chaos.In Shahjahanpur’s Jalalabad, angry consumers blocked the Bareilly–Farrukhabad highway around 10 am after they failed to receive LPG cylinders. Police reached the spot soon after and managed to persuade the protesters to clear the road.
In Gorakhpur’s Bharohia area, residents complained of standing in queues for hours without getting cylinders. The situation worsened after a gas agency in nearby Pipiganj was sealed, halting distribution. Consumers staged protests on Thursday, alleging that despite booking cylinders they were not receiving deliveries.
The shortage has also begun to affect local businesses. Several food outlets have reportedly revised their price lists due to the rising cost and limited availability of LPG.The crisis is particularly severe in industrial clusters dependent on gas-based production.In Firozabad, known for its glass and bangle industry, the crisis has pushed several units to the brink of shutdown. Industrial units have reported a 20 percent cut in their gas quota, raising fears that hundreds of factories could close if supplies are not restored soon. Industry representatives warn that such closures could leave a large number of workers unemployed.Similarly, in Hathras, the supply disruption has hit the silver anklet and ghunghroo manufacturing industry in Bisawar. The cluster has around 180 small and large units where nearly 4,000 artisans depend on commercial gas cylinders for production. Since environmental regulations allow only gas-powered machines for the joining of ghunghroo components into anklets and other ornaments, work in many units has come to a halt.Authorities have also intensified action against alleged black marketing of LPG cylinders.In Jaunpur’s Jafrabad police station area, officials raided a Jan Seva Kendra and a cosmetic shop in Kalyanpur market and recovered 61 domestic LPG cylinders. In Bhadohi, the supply department seized 12 domestic cylinders and several small cylinders from a kitchen service outlet following complaints of black marketing. Officials also found passbooks belonging to 53 consumers during the raid. Also Watch:
The shortage has affected religious kitchens and hospitality establishments as well. In Varanasi and nearby districts, some community kitchens and even large hotels have reportedly started using traditional wood-fired stoves after running out of LPG stock.Similar scenes of long queues at gas agencies have been reported from Azamgarh, Chandauli, Sonbhadra, Ghazipur and Ballia. In Mirzapur, several distributors allegedly switched off their mobile phones as customers struggled to track cylinder deliveries.Uttar Pradesh Finance Minister Suresh Khanna said the state government was closely monitoring the situation arising from global developments due to the conflict. He assured that domestic consumers in the state would not face a prolonged shortage of cooking gas or other essential fuels and warned of strict action against those involved in black marketing. Khanna made the remarks while attending a wedding function in Shahjahanpur.