Daijiworld Media Network – Panaji

Panaji, Mar 16: Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinder bookings and dispatches have surged sharply in Goa, indicating a fresh wave of panic booking among consumers across the state.

While an average of around 11,000 domestic LPG cylinders were dispatched daily over the last three days, the number spiked to nearly 14,700 cylinders on Sunday alone, reflecting a sudden rush among households to secure supplies.

According to official data, the state had 360.494 metric tonnes (MT) of domestic LPG as opening stock on Sunday. During the day, an additional 219.842 MT was received, taking the total available stock to 580.336 MT.

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However, 209.21 MT of LPG was dispatched during the day, which translates to roughly 14,700 domestic cylinders. The surge suggests that consumers rushed to book cylinders despite repeated government appeals not to indulge in panic buying.

At the end of the day, the closing domestic stock stood at 371.126 MT, equivalent to nearly 26,000 cylinders. Authorities maintained that LPG supplies to distributors will continue on a daily basis to ensure normal availability.

Officials said the state currently has 55 LPG distributors, including 33 of Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd, 17 of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd and five of Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. One of the distributors of Indian Oil Corporation caters exclusively to the Army.

Meanwhile, commercial LPG supply remains limited. On Sunday, more than 700 cylinders were supplied for commercial use.

Sources said that the current supply is adequate to handle the situation and expressed confidence that things will normalise soon. Authorities also appealed to citizens to avoid panic booking, noting that heavy demand had slowed down the online booking server