In a major development, Union Minister Suresh Gopi on Monday announced a revision of the refill booking interval in rural areas to 25 days, down from 45 days. The Minister said the central government has asked oil marketing companies to implement the revised LPG refill booking interval of 25 days uniformly in both urban and rural areas immediately.
He said that the refill booking interval was revised due to the pressure on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) supply following the Middle East conflict.
"However, in view of the current LPG supply situation improving and the significant reduction in refill backlog, the central government has relaxed this restriction. Now, all domestic LPG consumers, regardless of urban or rural, can book refills at an interval of 25 days," Gopi, the Union Minister of State for Petroleum, Natural Gas and Tourism, said.
The minister also shared a copy of the letter the Petroleum Ministry issued to the OMCs to implement the change immediately.
LPG demand shifts to piped gas
Meanwhile, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) sales continued to fall, dropping 16.1 per cent to 2.42 million tonnes. LPG demand had fallen 17.4 per cent in July.
Industry officials said this was largely because some volumes have shifted to piped natural gas since the West Asia crisis.
LPG sales have been declining since the onset of the West Asia crisis, which disrupted supplies and led to consumption restrictions in sectors like hotels and restaurants.
The curbs were lifted in June, when sales rose 8.6 per cent to 2.18 million tonnes but were lower year-on-year, as some industrial and commercial users are now using piped natural gas for their needs, they said.
August LPG consumption was 12.6 per cent lower than 2.77 million tonnes in August 2024 and 0.3 per cent lower than 2.43 million tonnes in August 2023. Month-on-month LPG sales were up 2.2 per cent to 2.37 million tonnes, the data showed.
Commercial LPG rate rises Rs 9.50
The government on Tuesday hiked the price of commercial LPG, used by establishments such as hotels and restaurants, by Rs 9.50 per 19-kg cylinder, in line with a rise in their international benchmarks. As a result, commercial LPG prices have increased from Rs 2,738 per 19-kg cylinder to Rs 2,747.50.
