“Vada pav not enough for kids”: LPG panic grips Mumbai as black market rates soar to ₹1,800

Under the blazing afternoon sun on Akurli Road in Mumbai’s Kandivali suburb, a line of empty LPG cylinders stands in silent formation — placeholders for anxious residents waiting for a refill truck that never arrives. People linger nearby, unwilling to leave their spot as the hours pass without any sign of a delivery.

Cooking gas, now almost “worth its weight in gold”, has become scarce as the war in West Asia disrupts supplies that power millions of Indian households. Rumours of shortages have triggered panic buying, while a thriving black market has worsened the situation.

Single-cylinder households are among the worst hit, with many residents taking leave from work to wait for refills. Long queues have been seen across the city — from Kandivali in the western suburbs to Dharavi and Bhandup in the east. While many residential complexes in Mumbai have piped natural gas (PNG), older housing societies and lower-income neighbourhoods remain dependent on LPG cylinders.

In Lokhandwala Township on Akurli Road, residents say patience is running thin. Shatrughan Kapad, a resident of Kranti Nagar, took leave from his job as a cook to secure a cylinder. “Getting a cylinder is more important right now,” he said, wiping sweat from his forehead.

Nearby, retiree Suresh Sawant waited in line because, he said, “my grandchildren cannot go hungry.” He added: “We adults can manage with vada pav, but children cannot.”

In Malwani, Malad, 44-year-old Humale Yadavar said he had booked a cylinder nearly a month ago. On Thursday, he waited outside an LPG dealer’s office with his daughters for almost an hour before finally getting one. “If this is the situation even after booking so far in advance, imagine how bad things are,” said Selvy Kaundar, another resident.

As residents struggle, some dealers are allegedly profiting from the crisis. Ataul Khan from Dharavi said he paid ₹1,800 — nearly double the official rate — for a cylinder on the black market.

“People are finding it difficult even to book a cylinder,” Khan said. “Sometimes a cylinder is shown as delivered when none has arrived. Dealers are making money from this panic. We don’t even know if there’s actually a shortage, but there seems to be a problem everywhere.”

Sugandhi Francis, 73, a resident of Kanjurmarg, said the gap between booking and delivery has suddenly increased from about 15 days to nearly 25 days. “When booking and delivery timelines stretch without proper communication, people naturally assume there is a shortage and start panic-buying,” she said.

Meanwhile, the Indian National Congress in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has written to the mayor demanding a special session to discuss the LPG situation and its impact. Party group leader Ashraf Azmi has also asked whether the Disaster Management Act, 2005 could be invoked to ensure uninterrupted essential services for institutions such as schools and hospitals.