IVRS crash, WhatsApp failure hit LPG refills in Lucknow

LUCKNOW: LPG consumers across several parts of the city struggled to book refills on Thursday as the Interactive Voice Response System (IVRS) and other digital booking platforms remained unresponsive, forcing residents to line up outside agencies for hours.Consumers said booking attempts through official phone numbers, WhatsApp and online systems largely failed, forcing them to approach agencies directly. A TOI reality check on Thursday found heavy crowds outside agencies in Rajajipuram, Dubagga, Lalkuan, Lalbagh and Sadar. Residents said booking lines remained unanswered and WhatsApp services did not respond. Even those who placed bookings reported delivery delays.

Noori of Sadar Bazaar, who gets her LPG from a distributor in Lalkuan, said: "Repeated attempts to book a refill over the phone failed as calls to the official number either did not connect or brought no clear response. With Ramzan underway, the lack of communication has made it difficult for families to plan daily cooking." Residents in other areas reported similar problems. Uzma Kidwai from Burlington said the WhatsApp numbers advertised for quick bookings did not respond.

Without updates on cylinder availability or delivery schedules, people are left guessing when the refill will arrive, she observed. Shakeel Ahmad also reported unanswered calls to the customer care helpline, adding that delivery personnel cited server problems for booking numbers not connecting. At an agency in Rajajipuram, residents stood in long queues while staff asked customers to complete KYC formalities again before initiating bookings. Shivam Pandey, who had been waiting for hours, said agency staff attributed the problem to server issues. Heavy crowds were also reported at an LPG agency in Dubagga. Saurabh, standing in the queue, said the absence of clear information on booking or delivery has created confusion. Similar scenes were witnessed in Lalbagh and Lalkuan. Even confirmed bookings have not ensured timely delivery. Sweta Mishra from Nirala Nagar said she booked a refill three days ago but the cylinder has not arrived yet. Priyanka Verma noted that deliveries which earlier took a day or so were now stretching into several days. Distributors attributed the situation to supply constraints and rising demand. An agency operator in Aliganj said the booking system was accepting requests but stocks from bottling plants had declined, and with deliveries strictly following the waiting list, limited supply was causing delays. (Mariyam Shakeel, Shruti Shukla, Amritansh Singh)