MARGAO/PANJIM/CAL ANGUTE/PONDA: Cal angute emerged as the flashpoint of Goa’s deep ening LPG and fuel crisis on Wednesday, with resi dents, panchayat members and local political workers spilling onto the streets in a dramatic ‘rasta roko’ that underscored growing pub lic anger over prolonged supply disruptions. Allegations of black mar keting and selective dis tribution of commercial gas cylinders was made by several restaurateurs. “To day I bought a cylinder for Rs 4,200 and I was lucky to get that one too,” said a res taurateur from Panjim to O Heraldo on condition of anonymity. Led by sarpanch Jo seph Sequeira, protesters blocked the busy Calangute market junction outside an HP LPG dealership, placing empty gas cylinders across the road and bringing traf fic to a standstill. The agita tion, backed by panchayat members and Congress workers, was triggered by repeated failures by the dealer to deliver cylinders despite prior commit ments. Tensions escalated when police attempted to dis perse the crowd, even as dealership staff — who had briefly shut shop — were escorted back under police protection, further fuelling resentment among those gathered. Sequeira said the panchayat had formally written to the gas deal er, flagging the hardship caused by the non-delivery of cylinders. However, the response cited a ‘statewide shortage’, offering little im mediate relief to residents who say they have been left waiting for days. The unrest in Calangute coincided with visible signs of panic on the fuel front, as long queues snaked outside petrol pumps in the area after supplies ran dry at a nearby outlet in Saligao. The twin shortages have intensified anxiety among both residents and busi nesses in the tourism belt. Calangute MLA Michael Lobo acknowledged the disruption, stating that distribution needed to be streamlined following alle gations of black marketing and overcharging.
He said he had been holding regular meetings with deal ers and panchayat representatives, but attributed the situ ation to a sudden spike in demand. The explanation, how ever, has done little to quell public anger on the ground. What unfolded in Calangute is increas ingly being mirrored across the State. In South Goa, particularly in Salcete, the crisis has begun to hit the hospitality sector hard. Gas dealers in Margao report receiving barely 20 per cent of their usual com mercial LPG supply — far short of what is needed to sustain operations. Even a proposed increase to 50 per cent, they say, would still fall short of prevailing demand. The consequences are already visible. Several hotels have been forced to temporarily shut down, while others have resorted to makeshift alternatives such as induc tion cooking and firewood systems—stopgap measures that have driven up costs and operational challenges. “We are unable to function normally due to the shortage. The promised supply is not reaching us regularly, and this is severely affecting our business,” said a hotelier from Salcete, echoing widespread frustration within the sector. Despite these disruptions, enforcement agencies have intensified inspections, with officials from the Civil Sup plies and Consumer Affairs Department conducting raids on hotels to check the illegal use of domestic LPG cylinders for commercial purposes. While authorities maintain that strict action is necessary, businesses ar gue that such measures fail to address the root prob lem — an inconsistent and inadequate supply chain. The strain is equally evident in rural pockets. In Kun daim, residents staged protests earlier this week af ter reportedly going without LPG for nearly two weeks. Supplies were restored only after the agitation, with around 80 per cent of villagers receiving cylinders later the same day, according to the local sarpanch. Yet, even as protests multiply and shortages disrupt daily life and business activity, the government con tinues to maintain that the situation is under control. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Wednesday assert ed that there is no shortage of LPG in the State, urging citizens not to engage in panic buying. He said domes tic consumers would receive cylinders within 15 days of booking, while commercial users have been allocat ed a 20 per cent quota based on consumption patterns. The Chief Minister also pushed for a transition to Piped Natural Gas (PNG), suggesting that consumers opting for PNG would receive an additional 20 per cent LPG alloca tion. Officials further claimed that supply through Goa Nat ural Gas Pvt. Ltd. remains uninterrupted in parts of North Goa and Ponda, positioning PNG as a reliable alternative. From road blockades in Calangute to hotel shutdowns in Salcete and protests in Kundaim, the crisis is steadily ex posing cracks in the State’s supply management.
