Over 36,000 consumers await new LPG connections in Karnataka after West Asia war

Since the onset of the West Asia war in April 2026, over 36,000 consumers in Karnataka are still waiting for new LPG connections as the issuance of these connections was temporarily suspended due to disrupted vital import routes through the Strait of Hormuz. In response to the crisis, oil companies in the state, including Indian Oil Corporation, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited, received around 36,069 applications for new connections.

Minister for Food and Civil Supplies, Rizwan Arshad, disclosed these figures in response to a question raised by Tippanna Kamaknoor in the Legislative Council. Arshad stated that while 5-kg Free Trade LPG cylinders were provided to consumers who had applied for new connections, the issuance of 14.2-kg LPG connections was halted.

The government prioritized supplying LPG refills to existing consumers and urged domestic producers to increase production. Measures such as regulating LPG supply to commercial and industrial sectors, diverting C3 and C4 hydrocarbon streams for domestic LPG supply, and invoking the Essential Commodities Act, 1955 were taken to ensure equitable distribution of LPG connections.