Gangtok, April 2 -- As the situation in West Asia continues to escalate, Sikkim is currently facing a serious shortage of both domestic and commercial LPG cylinders, causing major inconvenience to the public as well as business establishments.

In many places, people have reportedly been standing in long queues from as early as 3 AM, but many are still returning home without getting a cylinder.

The shortage has become a major concern, especially for hotels and restaurants during the peak tourist season in April.

Rajesh Gupta, a hotel owner from Gangtok, said that his hotel normally requires two commercial LPG cylinders per day, which comes to around 14 cylinders in a week. However, he said that at present, he is receiving only one comme...