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. Earlier reporting noted: Govt reduces booking interval for LPG refill from 45 to 25 days for rural areas The Centre announced on Monday that the booking interval for LPG refills will remain the same in both urban and rural areas. As announced by Minister of State Suresh Gopi, the booking interval in rural areas has also been reduced from 45 days to 25 days.
Earlier reporting noted: Gopi, who is the Union Minister of State for Petroleum, Natural Gas and Tourism, stated that due to the pressure on LPG supply in the wake of the Middle East conflict, the refill booking interval was 25 days in urban areas and 45 days in rural areas.
Earlier reporting noted: The minister, in his post, also shared a copy of the letter issued by the Petroleum Ministry to the OMCs to immediately implement the change.
