LPG Crisis: Another Update on Gas Bookings—You Must Provide This Information for Cylinders Exceeding Your Quota; What Is the New Rule?

Amidst a shortage of LPG cylinders, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) has introduced a new procedure. Consumers who have already utilized their annual quota of 12 cylinder refills must now visit the ‘Hello BPCL’ app and answer a series of questions in order to make a new booking.

They are required to provide details regarding the number of family members, information about any visiting guests, and—if applicable—details regarding a wedding, bhandara (community feast), or any other special event taking place in the household. Only after providing this information will the cylinder booking be processed.

Neither gas agency operators nor consumers were aware of this new rule, which came into effect on Sunday. People who had been attempting to book cylinders via their mobile phones since early morning, only to meet with failure, eventually made their way to their respective gas agencies. Even the staff present at the agencies were unaware of the situation. It was only after the agency operator contacted company officials that they learned about this new procedure.

According to Adarsh ​​Gupta, State Secretary of the All India LPG Distributors Association, consumers are entitled to a quota of 12 cylinders per financial year. Many consumers have already exhausted this quota.

BPCL’s New Guidelines

Consequently, under BPCL’s new guidelines, consumers must now download the mobile app to initiate a booking. They will be required to answer a sequential series of questions; the booking will be confirmed only after these questions have been answered.

Inconvenience for Consumers

Even in this era of smartphones, a significant number of urban and rural consumers still rely on basic keypad phones. Furthermore, there are many who cannot afford to purchase a smartphone. For such consumers, the process of purchasing a new phone, downloading the app, and answering the required questions—in addition to the standard gas booking procedure—will prove to be a difficult and burdensome task. Under these circumstances, they will be deprived of the convenience of booking LPG cylinders from the comfort of their homes and may instead be forced to make repeated trips to the gas agency.

The Questions to be Asked:

Does the family consist of six or more members?

Are there guests currently visiting the family?

Is there a wedding, bhandara, or any other special event taking place?

Is the cylinder required for other general domestic purposes?