The war in West Asia, which disrupted global energy supplies, also affected the availability of cooking gas in India. The government has since prioritized deliveries to domestic kitchens by restricting deliveries to commercial establishments such as hotels and restaurants.
The cuts created panic and prompted even domestic consumers to rush to secure LPG refills. Daily bookings topped 88 million last month, up from pre-crisis bookings of about 45 million a day.
But on Friday, April 17, a senior government official said demand for LPG for cooking gas was slowly returning to normal as domestic stocks rose as the onset of summer chips was off, according to demand.
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Commercial LPG cylinders up to ₹344 this year
Domestic LPG prices have been revised once, while commercial cooking gas rates have been revised twice in the past few months, severely impacting restaurants, eateries and other businesses that depend on the fuel for operations.
The price of a 14.2 kg domestic LPG cylinder has increased significantly ₹60 in March. However, no rate revisions were made thereafter, so domestic LPG prices remained stable across the country.
Meanwhile, the price of a 19 kg commercial LPG cylinder was first increased ₹144 in March, followed by another hike of almost ₹200 on 1st April.
CityDomestic (14.2 Kg)Commercial (19 Kg)New Delhi ₹913.00 ₹2,078.50 Calcutta ₹939.00 ₹2,208.50 Bombay ₹912.50 ₹2,031.00 chennai ₹928.50 ₹2,246.50 Gurgaon ₹921.50 ₹2,096.50 Noida ₹910.50 ₹2,078.50 Bengaluru ₹915.50 ₹2,161.00 Bhubaneshwar ₹939.00 ₹2,245.00 Chandigarh ₹922.50 ₹2,099.50 Hyderabad ₹965.00 ₹2,320.50 of Jaipur ₹916.50 ₹2,106.00 Lucknow ₹950.50 ₹2,201.00 Patna ₹1,002.50 ₹2,353.50Read also | India will continue to buy Russian oil and LPG after the US exemption ends
“Deliveries are normal, no shortage”
Sujata Sharma, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, said daily bookings are currently in the range of 46-50 million. “Deliveries are normal. About 50,000,000 filling bottles were delivered to users on April 16,” she said, adding that the data indicated a gradual return to normal.
The onset of summer, when heating requirements decrease, also helps. “There’s definitely been a drop in demand,” she said, without giving absolute numbers.
She said India has maintained stable supplies of cooking gas and transportation fuels despite disruptions related to geopolitical tensions, with the government prioritizing household consumption and increasing allocations to key sectors.
Domestic LPG supply remains normal, with no reported shortages at distribution points, she said.
Online bookings account for about 98 percent of total demand, and verified deliveries have risen to more than 90 percent to curb diversion.
Commercial LPG supply resumed
Commercial LPG supplies have been restored to around 70 percent of pre-crisis levels, supported by targeted measures, including increased allocation of smaller cylinders to migrant workers and expanded distribution campaigns by state-owned oil marketing companies.
Since March 23, more than 16.41 lakh LPG cylinders have been sold at the market price of 5 kg LPG to those who do not have proper domestic cooking gas connection, she said.
These include migrants, students and working professionals as well as small businesses.
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PNG push
The authorities accelerated the transition to piped natural gas (PNG), favoring full supply to households and transport segments using compressed natural gas. Gas allocation to fertilizer plants has increased to around 95 percent of current average consumption, while industrial supplies have increased to as much as 80 percent.
To ease pressure on LPG demand, city gas distributors have been directed to extend piped natural gas (PNG) connections to commercial businesses, with incentives introduced by companies including Indraprastha Gas Ltd, Mahanagar Gas, GAIL Gas and Bharat Petroleum.
