LPG Supply Ban: Amid the war and import disruptions, the supply of commercial LPG cylinders has been limited. Currently, cylinders will only be supplied to hospitals and schools. Supplies to hotels and restaurants have been halted. The domestic LPG booking gap has also been extended. Learn more.
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LPG Supply Ban: Oil marketing companies (OMCs) have instructed LPG distributors to supply commercial gas cylinders only to hospitals and educational institutions for the time being. The supply of cylinders to hotels, restaurants, and other commercial establishments has been temporarily halted.
Moneycontrol has reviewed an internal communication sent to LPG distributors. According to this, OMCs have informed LPG distributors that, in accordance with the latest directives from the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, non-domestic (commercial) cylinders will now be sold only to hospitals and educational institutions. Commercial cylinders will not be supplied to hotels, restaurants, and other commercial establishments for the time being.
Meanwhile, the booking gap for domestic LPG cylinders has also been increased. Previously, the booking period for a second cylinder could be extended within 21 days. This has now been extended to 25 days.
NDNE dispatches also halted
In another internal communication issued on March 8, OMCs stated that due to the worsening war situation and disruptions in imports, the supply of non-domestic non-essential (NDNE) cylinders, i.e., commercial cylinders, has been suspended until further notice.
The communication stated that all distributors and direct customers should be informed of this decision. The relevant divisional managers and state-level sales teams should personally contact key customers to explain the situation.
It also stated that distributors, retailers, major customers, and business partners should be periodically updated on product availability and assured that supplies will resume as soon as the situation normalizes.
Commercial cylinder loading and billing have also been halted.
An LPG distributor, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that loading and billing of commercial cylinders have been halted for the time being. Supplies will not resume until confirmation of a new LPG shipment arrives.
He added that currently, LPG stock at bottling plants is being reserved for refilling domestic cylinders. Commercial cylinders will only be made available on a limited basis to emergency services such as hospitals.
Hotel Association Warns of Shutdown
According to distributors, the supply of commercial cylinders has also been halted at Indian Oil Corporation’s Devanagothi terminal in Bengaluru. The reason for this is said to be the non-arrival of LPG shipments from Chennai and Mangaluru ports.
The situation in Bengaluru has become critical due to the shortage of commercial LPG cylinders. The Bengaluru Hotels Association has warned that if supplies are not restored soon, hotels may be closed from March 10.
Another LPG dealer stated that the government has temporarily halted the bottling of commercial cylinders across the country. According to the dealer, “Commercial cylinder refilling has been halted since this morning, and there are no dispatches nationwide. This problem is not limited to Bengaluru, but is nationwide. The government will decide when supplies will resume based on the availability of LPG.”
