Many families in Car Nicobar in the Nicobar district of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands are being forced to abandon cooking gas and revert to traditional fuels such as firewood and kerosene amid a prolonged disruption in the supply of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).
Several residents who spoke to The Wave Andaman said the last consignment of LPG cylinders reached the island from Sri Vijaya Puram in October last year. Since then, no fresh shipment has arrived, leaving households without access to a regular supply of cooking gas.
For families that had shifted entirely to LPG for their daily cooking needs, the disruption is creating significant hardship. With existing stocks exhausted, many households are now relying on firewood, while some residents say they are using kerosene sourced through informal channels to manage cooking at home.
“The situation has become very difficult. Many families have completely run out of LPG cylinders and are now using firewood again,” a resident told The Wave Andaman.
Residents say the shift back to traditional fuels is causing inconvenience and raising concerns related to safety and cost. Collecting firewood requires additional effort and time, while kerosene use is associated with potential fire hazards and higher expenses. The development is also reversing the gains made under government initiatives that encouraged households to adopt LPG as a cleaner cooking fuel.
LPG dealers, however, attribute the shortage primarily to logistical constraints rather than a lack of overall supply.
Dealers who spoke to The Wave Andaman said LPG distribution to remote islands such as Car Nicobar depends on a supply cycle in which empty cylinders must be transported back to Sri Vijaya Puram before fresh consignments can be dispatched. Due to limited transportation options and irregular cargo movement between islands, the return of empty cylinders has been delayed, disrupting the supply chain.
“The system works on the circulation of cylinders. Fresh cylinders can only be sent once empty ones are brought back. Transportation constraints have affected that cycle,” a dealer familiar with the distribution process told The Wave Andaman.
Sources in the LPG distribution network also clarified that despite the ongoing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, there is currently no overall shortage of LPG cylinders for the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Consignments are expected to continue arriving as before once logistical bottlenecks are addressed.
The shortage has nonetheless highlighted the logistical vulnerabilities faced by remote island communities where essential commodities depend entirely on maritime transport. Any delay in shipping schedules or cargo movement can quickly translate into shortages of critical supplies.
At the same time, LPG prices across India have witnessed periodic increases in recent months. Domestic cooking gas cylinders and commercial LPG used by businesses have both seen price revisions amid volatility in global energy markets and adjustments in government pricing mechanisms.
For residents of Car Nicobar, however, the immediate concern remains the absence of LPG supply itself. With several months having passed since the last consignment reportedly reached the island, families say the continuing shortage is causing growing inconvenience and underscoring the challenges faced by remote island communities that depend heavily on external supply chains for essential commodities.
