Different Tune

Jan. 17 (LBO) - Shell Gas back-pedalled on its decision to cut gas supplies following top level talks with government, but panic buying over the weekend sparked shortages in some areas.

Jan. 17 (LBO) - Shell Gas back-pedalled on its decision to cut gas supplies following top level talks with government, but panic buying over the weekend sparked shortages in some areas. Last week, Shell Gas threatened to curtail supplies after regulator, the Consumer Affairs Authority shot down repeated requests to raise LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) prices.

In a public notice on Sunday, the company warned that, as a result of restricting supplies, existing stocks would run out by end January.

"The company has acted with great patience and co-operated in every way possible, but now has no option but to curtail future imports of LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) to mitigate the continued heavy financial losses," the notice said.

"This will result in current stocks being depleted towards the end of January 2006. We fervently hope that the CAA will resolve the pricing issue before stocks run out.

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But as talks with government intensified on Monday, Shell said it had not yet taken a decision t