Chennai Residents Face Cooking Struggles As OMCs Halt New LPG Connections

Oil marketing companies in Chennai have stopped issuing new domestic liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) connections since March, leaving applicants across the city facing severe daily cooking difficulties despite the normalisation of gas supplies. The freeze on new connections, which began when conflict broke out in West Asia, has forced residents in South Chennai and other areas to rely on expensive alternatives.

LPG distributors in the city reported that they receive walk-in customers seeking new connections almost every single day. However, because oil marketing companies (OMCs) have not cleared the issuance of new connections, gas agencies are currently only able to note down the names and phone numbers of applicants with the promise of providing cylinders once the situation resolves.

The delay has heavily impacted newly-married couples and families who recently relocated. Uthanraj, a provision store worker who brought his wife Radha to Chennai in March, said they have been forced to manage with a slow induction stove provided by their houseowner. Uthanraj noted that they cannot use all their utensils on the induction stove and that purchasing a smaller 5-kg cylinder, as suggested by their gas agency, is too costly for them.

Another newly-wed couple, who applied for a connection in May, expressed frustration over the lack of updates from their local agency. The husband explained that his wife is uncomfortable cooking with an electric induction stove, forcing them to purchase temporary 5-kg cylinders and order food from outside.

In South Chennai, another resident shared that she had to push local agencies to secure a temporary 5-kg connection after being denied a standard domestic connection. She expressed hope that she would eventually be allowed to convert it to a standard double-bottle connection once operations normalise.

Meanwhile, distributors are facing pressure from OMC officials to sell stoves and safety hoses, even though they cannot issue the actual gas connections. One distributor pointed out that some agencies are saddled with thousands of orange hoses, which have a limited shelf life. This means distributors would be selling products with a shortened lifespan to consumers once connections finally resume.