Bengaluru LPG Cylinder Booking Crisis: Online Systems Fail, Prices Soar
Residents across multiple neighborhoods in Bengaluru reported significant disruptions in booking LPG cylinders on Wednesday evening, with widespread failures in both the customer care auto-refill system and online booking platforms. The technical glitches left many households scrambling for alternatives as the systems became unresponsive.
Residents Struggle with Booking Failures
Anuradha Kamath, a resident of Uttarahalli, shared her experience: "We managed to book a cylinder Wednesday morning through the customer care auto-refill system. But since evening, I know many people who were unable to book gas and are asking around to see if anyone has a spare cylinder." This sentiment was echoed by others across the city.
Madhura Shetty from Banashankari attempted multiple bookings without success: "I tried booking through an app and the website several times, but the system isn't responding. It looks like the app crashed." The frustration was compounded by the usual efficiency of online bookings.
Priya Narayanan, a JP Nagar resident, highlighted the scale of the issue: "Normally, booking a refill online takes just a couple of minutes, but today (Wednesday) it simply isn't going through." Reports indicate that similar problems affected numerous households, disrupting daily routines.
Private Operators Capitalize with Price Hikes
Taking advantage of the heightened demand and limited availability, some private gas agency operators significantly increased prices. Vasanth S, an operator from Fraser Town, explained: "I normally charge Rs 1,150 for a 12kg cylinder, but with demand shooting up, I am now charging about Rs 2,200. People are still willing to buy because it became a necessity now."
Manjunath, another private agency operator, confirmed the trend, noting that prices have nearly doubled for new customers, rising from Rs 1,208 to Rs 2,115. This surge reflects the urgent need for LPG amid the booking system failures, putting financial strain on residents.
The combination of technical failures and opportunistic pricing has created a challenging situation for Bengaluru's residents, underscoring vulnerabilities in essential service infrastructures.
