Thiruvananthapuram, March 13
Even as the Centre has been repeatedly asserting that there is no shortage of LPG in India in the midst of the worsening West Asia crisis as the nation has adequate reserves of the cooking fuel, people across Kerala continue to panic over the issue.
People are not scrolling through reels, sharing memes or arguing on social media.
Instead, thousands are glued to their phones trying to reach their local cooking gas dealer and find out about the LPG supply.
Fed up of the frequent calls, the dealers have taken recourse to avoiding them. Calls are placed repeatedly by consumers, only to be greeted by two familiar responses, the line is busy, or the phone is switched off.
In homes, offices and small eateries alike, the question of the day has become remarkably uniform: "Did you manage to reach the gas agency?"
The scramble reflects the growing anxiety triggered by the alleged LPG shortage reported across the state.
What began as scattered complaints over delayed deliveries has now evolved into a full blown daily ritual of dialing dealers and checking booking status out of nervousness.
In many neighbourhoods, conversations that once revolved around politics, cinema or cricket have been replaced by updates on gas cylinders.
One household proudly announces it has managed to book a refill after several attempts, while another shares the "insider information" that deliveries might begin in a few days.
In effect, the humble cylinder has become Kerala's most discussed commodity.
Restaurants and small eateries are among the worst affected and industry estimates suggest that nearly 5,000 hotels in major cities have temporarily shut operations due to the shortage.
For households, meanwhile, the anxiety is more about how long the remaining gas in the kitchen cylinder will last.
The situation has also produced some dark humour.
Social media users joke that reaching a gas agency today is harder than getting through to a celebrity.
Others quip that the "most dialled number in Kerala" this week is not a friend, relative or office colleague, but the neighbourhood LPG dealer.
On Friday morning a State Minister who reached his favourite tea stall in the heart of the state capital city for the morning tea found it closed, but soon his staff went to an open tea shop and brought tea in a flask.
The state government has announced measures including prioritising gas supply to hospitals and schools, while urging the Centre to increase the quota of non-domestic cylinders.
At the same time, authorities have warned against panic booking, saying misinformation has contributed to the surge in demand.
Yet on the ground, the reality is simple, until the cylinder arrives at the doorstep, the calls will continue.
In Kerala's kitchens this week, the most pressing question is not what to cook but whether there will be gas to cook it.
- IANS
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