Karnataka urges Delhi to restart LPG connections as 36,000 households wait

Around 36,000 households in Karnataka are still waiting for new domestic LPG connections, the state says. The delay began after the global LPG crisis forced a halt to issuing fresh connections, leaving eligible families without supply for months. Food and Civil Supplies Minister Rizwan Arshad wrote to Union Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri asking oil marketing companies to restart the process. He noted that Karnataka’s population growth, rapid urbanisation and new residential areas have pushed demand higher. New households, migrant workers, low‑income families and residents of developing urban and peri‑urban zones are among those stuck. Arshad warned that long waits could push people to firewood or charcoal, raising indoor air pollution and accident risk for women, children and the elderly. He also pointed out that the price gap between domestic cylinders and five‑kg cylinders makes the latter hard for many to afford, and that lack of legal connections may spur illegal trade. The minister highlighted Bengaluru’s fast‑growing IT and biotech workforce and families moving into new colonies as facing acute shortages. He asked the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas to release enough new connections in line with guidelines and to carry out a district‑wise assessment with Karnataka’s government to speed up action. ## Context The LPG supply issue reflects broader pressure on global fuel markets, which can delay domestic programmes and affect clean‑cooking goals in fast‑growing Indian states.