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ISLAMABAD: Panic buying, long queues and delayed deliveries have spread across parts of India as fears over dwindling LPG supplies and rising prices triggered disorder at gas agencies and booking centres, Indian media reported on Friday.&nbsp; The Times of India reported that domestic consumers rushed to book cylinders amid anxiety over shortages, while glitches in IVRS (Interactive Voice Response System) and online booking systems worsened the chaos and pushed more people into physical queues and literal fights outside distribution offices.&nbsp; The supply scare comes after a sharp increase in LPG prices earlier this month. Reuters reported that India raised the price of a 14.2-kg domestic cylinder by 60 Indian Rupees in Delhi to 913 rupees, while the price of a 19-kg commercial cylinder climbed to 1,883 Indian Rupees from 1,768.50 rupees. The hike added pressure on households as well as restaurants, hotels and small food businesses already worried about replenishment delays.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-1" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-1&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2031966317839004101&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=128fdce1f836af0c87b6c296878f67133ef2e177&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 600px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;"></iframe></div></div>The disruption has been linked to the conflict in West Asia and shipping constraints affecting energy imports. The Telegraph India reported that India, which imported about 60% of its cooking gas demand last year, has seen LPG supplies disrupted by constraints on Gulf shipping routes, prompting the government to curb industrial and commercial use in order to protect household distribution. Reuters also said New Delhi has begun sourcing more LPG from countries such as the United States, Norway, Canada and Russia. In a statement released by the Press Information Bureau, Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, whose name is already embroiled in a scandal relating to &#39;Epstein files&#39;, said an LPG Control Order has directed refineries to maximise LPG output, raising production by 28% in five days. Even so, with panic spreading faster than official assurances, the LPG squeeze has already spilled into a full-blown public anxiety crisis.

India

Panic buying, long queues and rising prices have triggered chaos across India as LPG supplies tighten, with officials promising household priority while import disruptions and public anxiety deepen the crisis

Panic, chaos in India as LPG supply dwindles, prices surge

NEW DELHI:&nbsp;Chaos gripped Indian airports on Thursday after the country&#39;s biggest airline IndiGo cancelled over 1,200 flights, stranding thousands of passengers. The company blamed the disruption on &quot;unforeseen operational challenges,&quot; including technical glitches, bad weather and new rules for workers. India&#39;s aviation watchdog ordered an investigation and demanded that IndiGo respond with plans to ease the interruptions, which have persisted since Monday. Passengers vented their anger online, with one airport user on X describing &quot;complete mayhem&quot; with delays of up to eight hours and no staff on hand to help. Some 1,232 IndiGo flights had been cancelled as of Wednesday, according to the company. The number of delays was not clear. IndiGo said it was offering customers alternative travel arrangements and refunds while restoring its services. The company acknowledged its &quot;significantly disrupted&quot; operations were partly due to new crew rostering rules having a &quot;negative compounding impact&quot;. The rules came into effect last month and aim to give pilots and crew more rest periods to enhance passenger safety. In a meeting on Thursday with senior officials from the airline and from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, IndiGo acknowledged that &quot;more cancellations will continue for the next 2&ndash;3 days,&quot; according to a statement issued by the aviation watchdog. Airline officials also said that &quot;corrective actions are underway&quot; with the aim of fully restoring operations by February 10, the statement added. It said the aviation body demanded IndiGo submit &quot;a detailed roadmap covering projected crew recruitment&quot;. The disruption is another setback to the no-frills carrier, which has built its reputation on punctuality. Last week, 200 of its planes were affected when Airbus issued an alert for an urgent upgrade for 6,000 aircraft worldwide. India is one of the world&#39;s fastest growing aviation markets, hitting 500,000 daily flyers last month for the first time.

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Chaos gripped Indian airports after the country's biggest airline IndiGo cancelled over 1,200 flights, stranding thousands of passengers

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Panic, chaos in India as LPG supply dwindles, prices surge

Chaos after India's biggest airline cancels 1,200 flights