If you are trying to buy a domestic LPG cylinder in Delhi these days, be prepared to pay far more than double the official price. A 14.2-kg domestic LPG cylinder, which should cost around Rs 913 amid government claims of no supply shortage, is allegedly being sold on the black market for Rs 2,000-Rs 2,500 in several parts of the Capital.With regular supplies scarce, many residents are trying to arrange cylinders from neighbouring states such as Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, where availability is relatively better than in the national capital. In effect, many people are burning fuel to buy cooking gas.A PG owner in northeast Delhi shared evidence of alleged black marketing with The Tribune, showing an order for three cylinders for which he paid Rs 6,400 to a vendor. Requesting anonymity, the owner said he could not procure cylinders from authorised distributors, many of whom had stopped answering calls.This correspondent visited several coaching hubs across Delhi, including Mukherjee Nagar, GTB Nagar, Old Rajinder Nagar and Vijay Nagar, for a reality check. It was found that black market operators were offering 14.2-kg domestic cylinders at nearly double or triple the official price due to limited availability in the regular supply chain.Many consumers said local distributors were either not responding to calls or citing lack of fresh supplies.The shortage is also beginning to affect street food prices, with roadside eateries increasing the cost of items such as samosas, tea and omelettes to pass on the burden of rising cooking fuel costs to customers.Several street vendors said they had raised the price of samosas from Rs 15 to Rs 20 within a day.“LPG cylinders are difficult to procure and very expensive on the black market. So I had to increase the price of samosas to Rs 20. Otherwise it was impossible to continue selling,” said Rajinder Kumar, a local vendor.A young professional working with a multinational company said he had to drive nearly 150 km to Rewari in Haryana to procure two cylinders.“None of the local vendors were answering our calls, so we had to drive down to our hometown in Haryana to keep the kitchen fire burning,” he said.Attempts to contact suppliers highlighted the scale of the issue. One operator involved in the black market admitted cylinders could still be arranged, but only at higher prices.“There is a shortage and cylinders are not available. If someone needs one urgently, the price will be between Rs 2,000 and Rs 2,500,” he said.