Mysore/Mysuru, March 12 -- A surge in phone calls from customers trying to book domestic LPG cylinders has crippled the centralised servers of oil and gas companies, distributors said, attributing the disruption to panic bookings.

Consumers attempting to book cylinders through their mobile phones reported being unable to connect to the booking servers, receiving continuous busy tones or experiencing abrupt call disconnections.

Officials from Government-owned oil marketing companies said the systems were not designed to handle such a massive volume of calls. "The servers have turned slow and unresponsive due to the unprecedented surge in call traffic," they explained.

Meanwhile, the Centre has imposed a 25-day gap between refill booking...