Bhubaneswar: Escalating conflict in West Asia has begun to cast a shadow on residential neighbourhoods in the capital, with several large housing societies witnessing panic booking, leading to simultaneous hoarding of LPG cylinders amid fears of an artificial scarcity of cooking gas. Residents across gated communities in Bhubaneswar said anxiety over possible supply disruptions has led many households to book additional cylinders even without immediate requirement. The trend, distributors and experts warned, could aggravate the situation by triggering avoidable pressure on the supply chain.Under existing norms set up by the ministry of petroleum and natural gas and the state govt as well, a household can book up to 15 LPG cylinders in a financial year, with a subsidy applicable on 12 cylinders. However, for small families, actual consumption is often far lower. “In normal times, we would book a cylinder only when the previous one was about to finish, but now people in our society are advising everyone to keep an extra cylinder just in case. This has led to additional bookings. I kept a full cylinder in stock although I don’t need one immediately,” said Namita Jena, a resident of a large apartment complex in Patia. Gas distributors said booking patterns changed noticeably over the past week. “There has been a sudden spike in advanced bookings from certain high-rise societies. This looks more like panic buying than genuine demand,” said an LPG distributor in Rasulgarh, adding that there is currently no official communication indicating a domestic supply cut.Officials pointed out that Odisha maintains sufficient buffer stock for domestic LPG needs, and that disruptions linked to geopolitical tensions do not immediately translate into shortages for household consumers. “Artificial scarcity is often created by fear and misinformation rather than real supply issues,” said Ajit Hota, an industry expert. Civic experts cautioned that hoarding by a section of consumers could deprive daily-wage earners and low-income households of timely access to cylinders. “When residential societies corner supply by booking multiple cylinders, the impact is felt most by urban poor families,” said Jagadananda Mohapatra, a consumer rights activist. Currently, the lock-in period for a second cylinder is 25 days. Several residents expressed concern that rumours circulating on housing society WhatsApp groups are adding to the panic. “Messages claiming that ‘LPG prices will shoot up’ or ‘supply will stop’ are being forwarded without verification,” said Gopal Nath, a resident of Chandrasekharpur.Experts stressed the need for greater awareness among consumers. The govt in the meantime has mandated e-KYC to procure cylinders and also keep a close watch on black marketing. The govt has also recently clarified that a 5-kg small cylinder can be procured from the registered agency by producing an ID proof.
