Delhi caps commercial LPG supply at 20% of daily usage, hospitals get top priority

Government departments and public sector institutions operating canteens will fall under the second priority category, while restaurants and eateries have been placed in the third category. Hotels, hospitality units and guest houses will fall in the fourth category. (See box)

Distribution will be based strictly on booking requests made by consumers, the order said. The daily quota will be divided among the three OMCs in proportion to their current market share for 2025-26 financial year – 58% for IOC, 27% for BPCL and 15% for HPCL, it added.

“Supply of commercial LPG cylinders will be made primarily in the standard 19-kg cylinder format, except where specific capacity requirements exist for Priority 1 institutions. No supply shall be made in 5-kg cylinders, as their distribution is not undertaken through LPG distributors in the commercial supply chain and would be difficult to regulate,” the order said.

Further, to prevent hoarding and ensure equitable distribution, the daily quantity supplied to each consumer will be determined on the basis of average daily consumption during the preceding three months, as recorded in the respective OMC software systems, officials said.

“Supply will be restricted to the sectoral cap percentages indicated in the priority table above. The OMCs shall accept online booking requests through their respective systems and maintain a date-wise serial record of refill requests,” the order said.

It added that where supply cannot be made immediately upon booking, the consumer will be supplied, preferably on a First-In-First-Out (FIFO) basis. “Pending requirements within each sectoral priority will be fulfilled on the next day to the extent feasible, subject to availability,” the order said.

Besides, enforcement agencies, including the police, Legal Metrology department, OMCs and the Food and Supplies department, have been directed to conduct regular inspections and enforcement operations to prevent diversion of LPG cylinders, hoarding, illegal storage, under-weighing and black marketing.

Mandating strict action against violations, the order stated, “…institutions may be encouraged to temporarily adopt alternative cooking systems, such as: electric induction cooking, steam-based cooking systems, PNG, wherever available. This will help reduce pressure on commercial LPG demand during the supply constraints.”

Officials said the government will also issue daily supply bulletins on LPG availability to prevent panic and misinformation. “This policy may be reviewed and revised from time to time depending on the evolving supply-demand situation,” the order said.