LPG Shortage Hits North Kolkata: Residents queue for hours as online booking fails

By Abhishek Shaw|DumDum Press|Reported on March 23, 2026

A domestic LPG shortage has hit Dum Dum, Sinthi and Baranagar areas of North Kolkata. Since 8th March 2026, the supply of LPG has been disrupted. Many residents faced problems with online and phone booking which forced them to visit gas agencies in person, standing in long queues to secure an LPG cylinder for their family. It has led to chaos outside gas agencies across the area.

DumDum Press visited the Indane gas agency at 12, Sarbakhan Road, where around 20 to 25 people were standing in a queue – either to book a cylinder or to get confirmation of when their already-booked cylinder would be delivered. Among them was an elderly woman, standing completely helpless. She had been trying to book her cylinder through the agency’s phone number for the past 10 days but had received no confirmation that her booking had even been registered.

When DumDum Press spoke to the agency staff at Sarbakhan Road, they acknowledged that a shortage in supply was creating the crisis. Consumers should expect a wait time of 7 to 10 days from the date of booking for their cylinder to be delivered.

DumDum Press also visited the Indane gas agency in Baranagar, where 10 to 15 people were standing in a queue for the same reason — online and phone booking not working. Among them, an elderly man was seen walking out of the agency gate looking visibly dissatisfied. When DumDum Press spoke to him, he said he had booked his cylinder around 10 days ago but delivery had not happened. The agency had asked him to come back again in the evening.

DumDum Press also visited gas godowns in the area. We found that the delivery system is not functional as earlier. With a wait time of 10 days or more for home delivery, many residents have taken the decision to travel directly to godowns to collect their cylinders themselves. DumDum Press witnessed a woman carrying an empty cylinder on her bicycle, making her way to the godown for a refill. We also saw an elderly man visibly tired and breathing heavily with an empty cylinder in hand, waiting to collect his refill because the home delivery was not happening any time soon.

DumDum Press also visited the HP Gas agency at 47-A, B.T. Road, Sinthi, to check if the crisis was affecting other companies as well. Here the situation appeared comparatively calmer — only 7 to 8 people were standing in the queue and the crowd appeared more organised, with staff managing the situation more efficiently. The core issue remained the same — online and phone booking systems were not working or facing temporary outages. However, agency staff told DumDum Press that they were able to deliver cylinders within 7 days of booking with no extra charges.

As this crisis was unfolding on the ground, DumDum Press tracked and analysed posts made by Indian Oil Corporation on its official Instagram account.

On March 13, the company posted: “Your Home is Our First Priority. Every genuine demand will be met. Your cylinder will be delivered directly to your doorstep.” Consumers were advised to stay calm and not believe or spread rumours.

The following day, March 14, Indian Oil advised consumers to avoid visiting distributor premises and instead book refills from home via phone, SMS, or app. Assuring customers that cylinders would be delivered through the regular distribution system. On the same day, the company also posted that increasing LPG demand are being met with strengthened supply systems, digital booking platforms, and coordinated distribution efforts to ensure timely access for consumers nationwide.

The ground reality that DumDum Press captured tells an entirely different story and raising serious questions about the gap between what IOC is saying publicly and what residents are actually experiencing.

The elderly woman who stood in queue, the man who travelled from Kutighat, the woman with a heavy cylinder on her bicycle these are the faces of a crisis that official statements have failed to acknowledge. We reached out to Indian Oil Corporation for an official response. No response was received at the time of publication. DumDum Press will continue to report from the ground until their voices are heard.