LPG cylinder booking gap in villages cut from 45 days to 25

The central government has given rural LPG customers major relief on cylinder booking. Restrictions imposed amid war-like conditions that had put pressure on LPG supply and pushed up pending demand have now been eased. The new decision makes the cylinder booking rule the same for customers in both villages and cities.

Earlier, rural domestic LPG customers had to wait 45 days after taking a cylinder before booking a new one. This gap has now been cut to 25 days, the same rule that was already in place for urban customers. This means domestic LPG customers in both areas will now be under the same rule.

In February, the conflict in the Middle East had put pressure on LPG supply. To manage demand against available supply, the central government had at the time imposed some temporary restrictions, keeping a gap of 25 days in urban areas and 45 days in rural areas. The aim was to ensure proper use of existing LPG stock and to avoid extra pressure on supply from increased demand.

But LPG supply conditions have since improved and pending cylinder demand has also fallen significantly, in view of which the government decided to ease the booking rule.

The central Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas issued a circular on this on September 7. It has directed oil companies such as Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum and Hindustan Petroleum to apply a 25-day booking gap for both urban and rural customers. The companies have been told to implement this changed rule immediately, so that rural customers can now book their LPG cylinder sooner than before.

The new rule means the next cylinder can be booked only at least 25 days after the previous one was booked or delivered. However, 25 days is only the minimum gap. After booking, the concerned gas distributor will deliver the cylinder to the customer's address. According to District Supply Officer Mahesh Sudhalkar, rural and urban domestic LPG customers will now get cylinder supply under the same rule.

To maintain transparency and safety in delivery, confirmation through the OTP or Delivery Authentication Code sent to the customer's registered mobile number will remain mandatory. Overall, after the improvement in LPG supply, the central government has removed the 45-day booking limit set for villages and brought it down to 25 days, so rural customers will no longer have to wait as long to book a cylinder.