Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Sep 8: The Centre on Monday announced that the LPG refill booking interval will now be uniform across urban and rural areas, reducing the waiting period for rural consumers from 45 days to 25 days.
Union minister of state for petroleum, natural gas and tourism Suresh Gopi said the restriction had been relaxed in view of the improved LPG supply situation and a significant reduction in refill backlogs.
“Now, all domestic LPG consumers, regardless of urban or rural, can book refills at an interval of 25 days,” he stated in a Facebook post, sharing a copy of the petroleum ministry’s letter to oil marketing companies (OMCs).
The ministry of petroleum and natural gas, through a letter issued by deputy secretary Mohit Kumar Aggarwal to the chairmen of Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum and Hindustan Petroleum, directed the companies to implement the change with immediate effect. The order formally ends the differentiated timelines that had been in place since March.
The earlier restrictions — 25 days for urban consumers and 45 days for rural consumers — were imposed under the Essential Commodities Act following the outbreak of conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran in February and the subsequent blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
The measures were aimed at managing demand and preventing shortages amid disruptions to the global energy supply chain. Certain gases, such as C3 and C4, were also reserved exclusively for LPG production.
The ministry’s letter cited the improved supply position and a marked decline in refill backlogs compared with the situation when the curbs were first introduced as the basis for rolling back the restrictions.
The revised norms restore parity for rural households, including many beneficiaries of the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, after nearly six months of a longer waiting period.
Earlier, in June, the government had withdrawn restrictions on commercial LPG supply, allowing OMCs to restore non-domestic packed LPG to pre-crisis levels and permitting supply of up to 50% of earlier consumption to industries.