REGULATORY · MARKET STRUCTURE · INDIA
IOC and BPCL restrict LPG rebookings
Change
Indian Oil Corporation and Bharat Petroleum implemented a 21-day lock-in between domestic LPG cylinder bookings from Friday in parts of West Bengal after a surge in bookings.
Why it matters
The restriction sets a minimum 21-day gap between domestic LPG cylinder bookings. Indian Oil Corporation and Bharat Petroleum put the lock-in in place from Friday. The move followed a sharp rise in bookings in Kolkata and adjoining districts, with distributors reporting delivery bottlenecks. Officials said bookings rose about 15%–20% over the past five to six days across parts of West Bengal, and OMCs said supplies were adequate and the supply chain intact. Industry sources estimated average daily LPG demand in West Bengal at about 5 lakh cylinders, with Indian Oil supplying about 3 lakh and the remainder supplied by BPCL and HPCL.
Implications
- • Households face a fixed minimum interval before they can place another domestic LPG booking.
- • Distributor delivery queues are constrained by a cap on repeat bookings per customer within 21 days.
Who is affected
- • Domestic LPG customers
- • LPG distributors and dealers
- • OMC booking and delivery operations
Source
Topics
Law & Public Safety Regulatory Actions Business & Markets Supply Chain & Logistics Energy & Power Oil & Gas