By Shishir Prashant 
PrashantNews
Uttarakhand has received from the centre an additional 6 percent quota for commercial LPG raising the total availability of such cylinders to 6310 per day with Dehradun district getting the highest 31 percent.
The move came in view of the ongoing shortage due to the Iran war.
A limit of two commercial cylinders per marriage has also been fixed under a new SOP.
With the increase of 6 percent quota, the total LPG commercial gas quota has gone up to 66 percent from 60 percent, said Anand Swarup, Secretary of Food and Civil Supplies.
Swarup explained that the objective of the new SOP is to ensure a balanced, priority-based, and transparent distribution among various consumer segments, thereby preventing any adverse impact on the chardham yatra, tourism, industrial activities, and essential services. This arrangement will remain in effect until further orders are issued, he said.
Swarup said the revised SOP outlines the daily requirements for various consumer categories. For tourism-based establishments such as hotels and resorts, 1,500 cylinders (24 percent) have been allocated, while 2,000 cylinders (32 percent) have been earmarked for restaurants and dhabas (roadside eateries) to ensure uninterrupted services during the tourism season.
A quota of 300 cylinders (5 percent) has been allocated for government-owned and government-controlled guesthouses. Furthermore, 200 cylinders each (3 percent for each category) have been allocated for dairy and food processing units, hostels offering paying guest facilities, as well as home-stays and establishments run by Self-Help Groups. He said a provision has been made for 660 cylinders (10%) for marriage ceremonies, and 1,250 cylinders (20%) for the pharmaceutical, hospital, automobile, textile, chemical, and other priority industrial sectors. Thus, the daily distribution of a total of 6,310 commercial cylinders has been ensured.
Swarup said district-wise quotas have also been determined in proportion to the number of gas connections in each district. Dehradun has been granted the highest allocation at 31%, while Haridwar and Nainital have each been allocated 13%. Udham Singh Nagar has been allocated 9%, Chamoli 6%, and Rudraprayag 5%. Tehri, Pauri, Uttarkashi, and Almora have each been allocated 4%; Pithoragarh 3%; and Bageshwar and Champawat 2% each.
This arrangement has been established taking into account local demand and consumer density.
Swarup announced that a maximum of two commercial cylinders per one marriage has been fixed. To avail of this, an applicant must submit a request to the concerned District Magistrate or a designated officer; permission will be granted following a verification of the submitted documents.