India, March 12 -- LUCKNOW Amid concerns over the widening conflict in West Asia, fears of an impending cooking gas shortage have triggered a massive wave of panic buying across Uttar Pradesh, leading to an artificial crisis, despite officials claiming adequate stock to meet the demand.

Gas agency operators said the government's rule permitting fresh LPG bookings only after 25 days of the previous refill has triggered the situation. As a result, thousands of consumers attempted to book cylinders simultaneously, causing company servers to slow down.

Agencies have been flooded with customers seeking refills, creating long queues outside distribution centres. Previously, customers could expect delivery within 48 hours, but the surge in pan...