LPG Cylinder Booking Rule: As Indian markets continue to battle the shortage of liquified petroleum gas (LPG) triggered by the West Asia war, the government has increased the lock-in period or booking cycle for both rural and urban households.
LPG booking increased to 45 days in rural areas, 25 in urban
For rural households, the minimum gap for booking has been increased to 45 days from the current 25 days, while in urban areas the booking cycle has been increased to 25 days from the current 21 days. Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Puri announced the change while addressing the Lok Sabha on Thursday.
What Puri said
“A 25-day minimum booking gap has been introduced as a demand management measure in urban areas and 45 days in rural and durgam kshetra areas,” Puri said.
This comes amid major global energy disruption following a wave of attacks on commercial vessels in and around the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important oil transit routes.
Delivery time for domestic LPG cylinders remains unchanged
However, the minister said the delivery time for domestic LPG cylinders remains unchanged. According to him, the average time from booking to delivery is still 2.5 days, the same as before the crisis.
“Hospitals and educational institutions have been placed on uninterrupted priority supply; their access to LPG is fully assured regardless of broader demand conditions,” Puri added.
Commercial LPG supply to begin
The minister also announced that the supply of commercial LPG cylinders will begin again from Thursday.
“In a major decision, 20% of the average monthly Commercial LPG requirement will be allocated from today by OMCs, in coordination with the State Governments so that there is no hoarding or black marketing,” Puri said.
He added that the government is also activating alternative fuel options to reduce pressure on LPG supplies.
Kerosene will be supplied through retail outlets and the Public Distribution System (PDS), while fuel oil will be made available for industrial and commercial users.
The minister further said that domestic LPG supply remains protected, and production has been increased.
He told Parliament that LPG production has risen by 28 per cent in the past five days to ensure adequate supply during the ongoing crisis.
Panic booking triggering pressure
The minister said reports from the field show that panic booking and hoarding are happening at distributor and retailer levels.
According to him, the situation is not caused by an actual shortage of LPG but by fear among consumers.
Puri told the lower house that the rush in bookings in some areas “reflects a demand distortion, not a production or supply failure.”
To improve monitoring, the government is also expanding the delivery authentication code system from 50 per cent to 90 per cent of consumers.
“Under this system, a cylinder can only be logged as delivered when the consumer confirms receipt through a one-time code on their registered mobile, making undocumented diversion effectively impossible to conceal,” Puri explained.
(With inputs from Times Now)
