Kolkata LPG e-KYC remains incomplete for roughly one in five domestic consumers in the city, and these customers could face higher refill costs if oil marketing companies introduce separate pricing for domestic and market-priced cylinders in the coming days, according to a report by Sanmarg – Kolkata.
The reported pricing arrangement is expected to be implemented within the next seven to 10 days. Under the proposed system, consumers who have completed e-KYC would continue to receive a 14.2-kilogram domestic LPG cylinder at the current price of Rs 968. Customers whose e-KYC remains pending would be required to provide consent for a higher-priced cylinder while booking their next refill.
The report did not state that the revised arrangement had already been implemented. It described the system as being prepared by oil marketing companies and said LPG distributors had been instructed to identify customers with pending e-KYC and complete the process as soon as possible.
Consumers are expected to be given multiple channels to provide their consent. These include interactive voice response systems, the relevant oil company’s mobile application, customer portals and WhatsApp chatbots. Once consent is recorded, the refill would be supplied at the applicable market price, according to the report.
The campaign is expected to cover both regular domestic LPG customers and beneficiaries of the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana. Distributors have reportedly been asked to speed up e-KYC completion instead of waiting until September 30. The report did not specify how many of Kolkata’s total domestic LPG connections are covered by the pending verification figure.
The reported change would connect a digital customer-verification process with the price paid for a basic household utility. For consumers, the immediate issue is whether a pending e-KYC status would result in a higher refill price at the time of booking and what documentation or process would be needed to restore access to the domestic rate.
The position of non-PAHAL consumers remains unclear. These customers are not linked to the LPG subsidy system’s direct benefit transfer mechanism, and dealers have sought clarification on whether they too must complete e-KYC to remain eligible for the lower-priced cylinder. The report did not include a final clarification on this point.
The next step, according to the report, is for oil marketing companies and LPG distributors to complete the verification drive and establish the separate pricing process over the next seven to 10 days. Further clarity is awaited on the treatment of non-PAHAL consumers and the exact implementation procedure.
