LPG Booking Relief: 25-Day Refill Interval Extended To Rural Consumers

The Centre has eased restrictions on domestic LPG refills, allowing consumers in both urban and rural areas to book a new cylinder after 25 days.

Union Minister of State for Petroleum, Natural Gas and Tourism Suresh Gopi said on Monday that the government has directed oil marketing companies to implement the revised booking interval immediately across the country.

The decision comes as the LPG supply situation has improved and the backlog of refill bookings has fallen significantly.

The booking restrictions had been introduced amid pressure on LPG supplies following the conflict in the Middle East. Under the earlier arrangement, consumers in urban areas could book a refill after 25 days, while those in rural areas had to wait 45 days.

Gopi said the government has now relaxed the restriction in view of the improvement in supply. This means the same 25-day booking interval will apply to all domestic LPG consumers, irrespective of whether they live in urban or rural areas.

The minister announced the change in a Facebook post and shared a copy of a letter issued by the Petroleum Ministry to oil marketing companies, directing them to implement the revised rule immediately.

The move is expected to provide greater flexibility to households, particularly those in rural areas that were previously subject to the longer waiting period.

The uniform booking interval also marks a return to a simpler system for domestic LPG consumers, with the same refill eligibility period applying across locations.

The government's decision comes at a time when it says the supply situation has stabilised considerably, allowing the temporary restrictions imposed during the period of supply pressure to be relaxed.