In the past few weeks, we have seen crisis after crisis—whether shortages of petrol, diesel, and gas. Yesterday, a few of my neighbours were discussing the LPG row: one said he had no documents, another had handed his documents to the dealer and now has no idea where they are, and a third was asked to complete eKYC by the LPG Company. Now this LPG issue has become the talk of the town; dealers are leaving no stone unturned to make money in many ways. I myself visited two LPG companies and was asked to bring the customer for eKYC, but as I’m tech-savvy I did it myself at home using the company’s app. The question isn’t confined to eKYC—it’s a big debate that would take hours to discuss. Some companies charge ₹250 for eKYC, and to justify that amount they issue a new passbook and gas pipe that have been sitting in their stores for years. The story doesn’t end here; it’s still incomplete.

After completing all the formalities, I logged in using the app, but all my dreams got scattered when I saw that a cylinder for March had already been issued without the consumer’s consent. The next day, I visited the company and showed them the booking history; they claimed they didn’t know how it happened, offering lame excuses. The same thing happened to a colleague. Now the question arises: whom do we hold accountable? As per social media, I learned that many consumers have received calls asking them to share OTPs. This row has raised serious questions about credibility, data breach, and accountability. Domestic cylinders meant for households are being diverted to the black market, while common people are told to wait for days. Home delivery has been shut down for ordinary customers. A regular person waits in long queues with no guarantee of getting a cylinder by day’s end. The present scenario of the gas row reminds me of Sadique Naseem’s poignant couplet:

Jab bhi teri qurbat ke kuchh imkan nazar aaye
Hum khush hue itne ki pareshan nazar aaye

Petrol pumps have also witnessed a huge rush in the past few days. Restrictive guidelines now ban giving diesel or petrol in cans, but that clashes with horticulture’s peak season—farmers need various sprays. They’re being asked to bring motors to the pump; if a farmer lives five kilometres away, what does it cost him to haul a motor back and forth? Should he spend his day spraying orchards or making multiple trips because a single refill can’t meet his needs? A labourer living hand-to-mouth has to set work aside and wait for petrol or diesel all day. Horticulture plays a pivotal role in boosting J&K’s economy, yet shortages will hit our orchards hard—at blooming stage they’re extremely sensitive, and care now decides the final yield. Oddly, horticulture experts have stayed silent.
The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas introduced the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana to give rural and deprived households clean LPG instead of firewood, coal, or dung cakes, which harm women’s health and the environment. Now our mothers are being pushed back toward those fuels—unless the Department of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs steps in with real market checks to curb unfair practices. We’ve seen officials show up from Eid to Eid, hyped by social-media journalists as if it’s extraordinary. Market checking should be routine, not a photo-op. Moreover, as consumers we also have a responsibility: when we already have a cylinder at home, we should refrain from booking another and instead give a chance to those who have none. We can help curb black-marketing by refusing to purchase from unauthorized sources.

Email:-------------------------mohdasifjan@gmail.com