LPG refill booking interval cut to 25 days for rural consumers too, Minister Suresh Gopi confirms

The Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas on Monday (September 7, 2026) directed State-run oil marketing companies — Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL), Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) — to uniformly implement a 25-day inter-refill booking interval for domestic LPG consumers across both urban and rural areas, with immediate effect.

In a letter dated September 7, the Ministry said the move follows a considerable reduction in refill backlogs compared with the situation that prevailed when demand-management measures were first introduced.

Those measures had been put in place during the outbreak of the conflict in West Asia in February 2026, when the Ministry prescribed a booking interval of 25 days for urban consumers and 45 days for rural consumers as a temporary step to manage demand amid supply pressure.

With the LPG supply position now easing, the Ministry has decided to do away with the differentiated timeline and revert to a uniform 25-day booking gap for all domestic consumers, regardless of location.

Union Minister of State for Petroleum, Natural Gas and Tourism Suresh Gopi confirmed the development on Monday (September 7), saying the Central Government had asked oil marketing companies to implement the revised, uniform 25-day interval immediately.

In a Facebook post, Gopi noted that the earlier 25-day (urban) and 45-day (rural) split had been necessitated by pressure on LPG supply arising from the conflict in West Asia.