New Delhi: Oil marketing companies have introduced stricter rules for LPG refill bookings, requiring consumers who have not ordered a cylinder for more than nine months to complete Know Your Customer (KYC) verification before they can receive a refill. According to a report by The Times of India, the measure has been implemented to streamline distribution and address irregular usage of domestic LPG connections.
Under the revised guidelines, LPG distributors have been instructed not to process refill requests from customers whose connections have remained inactive for over nine months unless they complete the mandatory verification process. Such consumers must visit their distributor’s office in person to update their KYC details before they can place a booking for a cylinder.
Distributors said they had received numerous refill requests recently from consumers who had not placed orders for long periods, sometimes exceeding a year. In response, oil companies directed distributors to enforce physical KYC checks to ensure that the connections remain active and are being used by legitimate households.
The move has resulted in long queues outside LPG distributor offices in Kolkata, where consumers are arriving either to complete the verification process or to manually book their cylinders. Many residents still find it difficult to use digital booking systems such as mobile apps or Interactive Voice Response Systems (IVRS), prompting them to visit dealer counters for assistance.
Despite the inconvenience, supply conditions appear to have improved slightly. Delivery timelines, which had stretched to eight or nine days earlier, have now reduced to about five to six days in several parts of the city, distributors said.
Officials also indicated that in the future, LPG connections in households that already have access to piped natural gas (PNG) could be suspended to ensure that LPG supplies are prioritised for areas where PNG infrastructure is not available.
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