Delhi. Recently, during the US-Iran conflict and supply disruption in the Strait of Hormuz, the pressure on LPG availability in the country had increased. In view of the shortage of gas, the Central Government had made changes in the booking of domestic gas cylinders. At the same time, now this interval has been reduced to 25 days. With this decision, now the rules of LPG refill booking have become the same for consumers in both rural and urban areas.
More relief to rural customers
Giving great relief to domestic LPG consumers in rural areas, it has been decided to relax the restrictions already in place for re-booking of gas cylinders.
The ban on commercial LPG supply was lifted in June.
Earlier, to provide relief to industries and business establishments, the government had also allowed restoration of commercial LPG supply to 50 percent of the pre-crisis consumption level, so that production and business activities are not affected.
Union Minister told…
Union Minister of State for Petroleum, Natural Gas and Tourism Suresh Gopi on Monday said that the government made changes in the rules after significant improvement in the LPG supply situation in the country and a huge reduction in pending refill bookings. The government had allowed urban consumers to book refills at an interval of 25 days, while for customers in rural areas this period was fixed at 45 days.
Petroleum Ministry took the decision
Also shared a copy of the instructions sent by the Petroleum Ministry to the Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs), in which this revised system has been asked to be implemented with immediate effect. This decision has been taken at a time when the availability of LPG has improved due to various steps taken by the government during the energy crisis.
Impact on LPG due to US-Iran conflict
The government was continuously monitoring the situation to meet domestic demand despite disruptions in global oil and gas supply chains. In June, the government had also withdrawn the restrictions imposed on the supply of commercial LPG. Under this, the Petroleum Ministry had directed oil marketing companies to normalize the supply of non-domestic packed LPG to pre-conflict levels.
Pressure on global energy supplies increased in February following the conflict involving US-Israel and Iran and shipping disruption in the Strait of Hormuz. At that time, the Government had implemented various regulatory measures using the provisions of the Essential Commodities Act to ensure domestic availability of LPG and to avoid potential shortages.