State food and civil supplies minister KH Muniyappa on Friday urged the Centre to address the prevailing fuel shortages in the state at a meeting held to take stock of the shortage of auto LPG that has begun to slow public transport across the state.
While supplies of commercial LPG cylinders have improved, auto LPG availability remains uneven, he said. Karnataka has around 500,000 autorickshaws, of which at least 300,000 run on LPG. Nearly 160,000 operate in Bengaluru, where the shortage has been most visible.
The state’s daily requirement is about 280 metric tonnes of auto LPG. Public sector companies such as IndianOil, Bharat Petroleum and Hindustan Petroleum supply around 60 metric tonnes, with the rest coming from private firms. According to the minister, supply from private operators has weakened, with some stopping distribution and others raising prices.
Muniyappa said that if private suppliers are unable to meet demand, the Union government must step in. He added that fuel supply falls under the Union government’s jurisdiction and that ensuring supply is the only solution to this issue.
The minister said the chief secretary would take up the matter with the Petroleum Secretary, and that he may also speak to officials directly. He also said he had spoken with state home minister G Parameshwara, and that police would be asked to monitor black marketing and excessive pricing of auto LPG and act against violations.
Separately, Muniyappa said the state would issue instructions to ensure timely delivery of domestic LPG cylinders.
