Marayoor: A severe shortage of Indane LPG has left residents across the Kanthalloor region in dire straits. Consumers allege that cylinders distributed by the agency in Munnar rarely arrive on time, with delivery personnel refusing to supply even local anganwadis on the grounds that OTP verification could not be completed.

Although the distributor promises delivery within three days of booking, deadlines are routinely missed. The recurring technical glitch of delayed OTP generation, which often expires by the time the delivery truck traverses the distance from Munnar to Kanthalloor, has caused immense frustration. Delivery staff reportedly turn back without unloading the cylinders, citing expired or non-functional OTPs.

The situation is equally bleak for local anganwadis, which depend entirely on Indane Gas to prepare daily meals for children. Staff members complain that despite presenting their official consumer passbooks, the agency insists on OTP authentication before releasing cylinders. Consequently, the ongoing crisis has begun disrupting the daily operations of these childcare centres.

Tensions boiled over on Monday evening when a delivery truck arriving from Munnar was intercepted near the Kanthalloor Panchayat office by a group of residents led by the panchayat president. Locals have also raised serious allegations that delivery staff use the OTP glitch as an excuse to turn away genuine customers, only to divert the cylinders to middlemen who sell them on the black market at inflated prices.

With hundreds of households in Kanthalloor relying on the Munnar agency, residents have demanded immediate intervention from authorities to overhaul the distribution system and ensure prompt, hassle-free deliveries to both households and anganwadis.