The Union petroleum ministry has directed oil marketing companies to reduce the LPG refill booking interval in rural areas from 45 days to 25 days, bringing it in line with the rule already applicable in urban areas. The revised interval will apply immediately to all domestic LPG consumers across India.
Union Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas and Tourism Suresh Gopi said on Monday that the government had instructed Indian Oil Corporation, Bharat Petroleum Corporation and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation to implement the revised rule uniformly.
The ministry’s decision was communicated in a letter dated September 7 to the chairmen and managing directors of the three state-owned oil marketing companies. The letter said the change followed an improvement in the country’s LPG supply position and a considerable reduction in refill backlogs compared with the situation when demand-management measures were introduced.
“In view of the present LPG supply position and the considerable reduction in refill backlogs as compared to the situation prevailing at the time of introduction of the demand-management measures, the Ministry has decided to revise the existing refill booking interval and prescribe an inter-refill booking gap of 25 days uniformly for all Domestic LPG consumers, including those in rural areas,” the ministry said in the letter, as shared by Gopi on Facebook.
The ministry advised the oil marketing companies to take the necessary steps to implement the revised inter-refill booking gap with immediate effect. The measure will allow eligible rural consumers to book their next domestic LPG refill after 25 days instead of waiting 45 days.
The earlier restrictions were introduced in March as a temporary measure to manage LPG demand amid supply pressures linked to the conflict in the Middle East. At that time, the government prescribed a 25-day booking interval for urban consumers and a 45-day interval for rural consumers.
The uniform rule removes the separate rural booking interval introduced during the supply-management period. Its immediate operational effect will depend on implementation by the three oil marketing companies and the availability of refill bookings through their distribution networks. The ministry’s September 7 direction is the stated basis for the change.
