PUNE: At least one cylinder delivery person was slapped and another was hit near the neck, while a few others were threatened amid spiraling demand for cooking gas in the city.A member of All India LPG Distributors’ Federation, Maharashtra (AILDF-MAH) said a delivery boy was slapped this week when he went to a housing society to deliver a pre-booked cylinder. “He had locked the vehicle before upstairs to complete the delivery, as agencies have instructed staffers to secure vehicles to prevent cylinder theft amid the crisis. When he came down, around 10-12 people demanded cylinders. When he told them those cylinders were booked, they became aggressive. They argued with him and even slapped him. He called our office, but by the time our manager reached the spot, those people had left,” the AILDF-MAH member said.Another city-based LPG dealer, who did not wish to be named, said “A delivery boy was surrounded in the Jambhulwadi–Datta Nagar area and someone hit him from behind near the neck. People shouted and threatened him because they thought cylinders would not be available. No formal police complaint was filed because it was difficult to identify the attacker,” he said, adding that delivery boys were now reluctant to go alone in some areas.

Several other LPG dealers reported delivery boys being manhandled over the past few days as customers tried to obtain cylinders without confirmed bookings. A federation member said even customers without any bookings were stopping delivery staffers in several areas and demanding cylinders.A distributor associated with the federation said, “This happened to my boys as well. Customers stopped them, argued with them and didn’t allow them to complete deliveries. Amid this chaos, cylinders are being stolen. Delivery boys often carry Rs 40,000-50,000 during rounds and cannot handle large crowds alone. This has become a serious security concern.”Following complaints from distributors, police have started coordinating with agencies to prevent untoward incidents.“The home department has instructed local police stations to stay in touch with gas distributors. “We were called for meetings and given emergency contact numbers so that the police can respond immediately if any distributor faces trouble during delivery,” another federation member said.Panic booking dipsGas distributors on Saturday said the crisis situation had eased slightly in the last two days because panic bookings reduced.“Bookings had gone up abnormally for a few days, but now the numbers are coming down. We expect the situation to stabilise if the booking pattern returns to normal,” an LPG dealer said.