Shimla: Himachal Pradesh Education Minister Rohit Thakur has directed the authorities to restore and normalize the LPG supply system in Kotkhai within a week, stressing that people should not face a shortage of cooking gas during the crucial apple season.
Chairing a high-level review meeting on Thursday, Thakur issued strict instructions to the concerned departments and the Shimla district administration to ensure that the long-pending LPG supply issues in the Kotkhai area are resolved on priority.
He made it clear that any negligence in ensuring the smooth supply of LPG would not be tolerated.
The Minister directed the authorities to expedite the process of connecting certain panchayats in the Kotkhai area with the Narkanda Gas Agency to strengthen the region’s LPG distribution network. He asked officials to complete all required formalities on a priority basis.
Officials informed the meeting that Kotkhai has around 15,400 LPG connections, while the Kalbog area has approximately 1,200 connections. Of the 1,200 consumers in Kalbog, LPG supply has been restored to around 600 consumers, while a backlog of nearly 600 connections remains.
To clear the pending backlog, a vehicle carrying 250 LPG cylinders was dispatched on Thursday.
Rohit Thakur said a proposal had been received for opening a new gas agency at Gumma and directed the department to complete the required formalities at the earliest. He also asked the government to invite applications for a new gas agency in the Kalbog area to ensure a regular and smooth LPG supply for local residents.
Officials informed the Minister that the implementation of gas supply without a Delivery Authentication Code (DAC) had created several practical difficulties. They added that instructions had been received from Indian Oil Corporation Limited to provide additional LPG loads.
The meeting was told that LPG supply problems in the Kalbog area had persisted for nearly three months.
Thakur directed officials to focus on the backlog-hit areas and ensure that consumers receive LPG refills without further delay. He said gas supply had been restored to around 500 connections in the Khanneti-Pudg area and directed the administration to bring the remaining affected areas back to normal.
Deputy Commissioner Shimla Anupam Kashyap assured the Minister that the district administration would ensure the LPG supply issue is resolved on priority within a week. He stressed the need for effective coordination among all concerned departments to maintain uninterrupted supplies.
LPG Supply and Sale in Shimla District
According to official data on the receipt and sale of domestic and commercial LPG refills in Shimla district between January and July 2026, the district has a total of 3,14,110 LPG connections.
These include 2,17,159 domestic DBC connections, 96,951 SBC connections and 7,150 commercial connections.
During the seven-month period, Shimla district received a total of 3,058 LPG loads. The district received 10,53,741 domestic LPG refills and 1,06,350 commercial refills.A total of 9,85,510 domestic refills and 86,556 commercial refills were sold during the same period.
Month-wise, the district received 505 LPG loads in January, followed by 511 in February, 497 in March, 388 in April, 322 in May, 402 in June and 433 in July.Domestic LPG sales stood at 1,79,198 refills in January, 1,51,058 in February, 1,57,600 in March, 1,22,500 in April, 1,20,100 in May, 1,21,072 in June and 1,33,982 in July.
Commercial LPG refill sales during the same period were recorded at 18,171 in January, 15,347 in February, 15,009 in March, 9,809 in April, 8,810 in May, 9,570 in June and 9,840 in July.The Minister said the immediate focus remains on restoring regular LPG supplies in Kotkhai and Kalbog so that residents, particularly during the ongoing apple season, do not face any disruption in the availability of cooking gas.
