Tired of LPG delays? Soon, you can switch suppliers across companies

New Delhi: Relief may be around the corner for LPG consumers unhappy with their supplier. In a move similar to mobile number portability, cooking gas users may soon be allowed to change their supplier without altering their existing connection, offering more choice and improved service.

Oil regulator Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) has invited stakeholder and consumer comments on the LPG Interoperability Framework.

PNGRB, in its notice, stated that in situations where a local distributor faces operational constraints, consumers often have limited alternatives, leading to hardship.

"There may be other reasons, too, and the consumer needs to have the freedom of choice on the LPG company/dealer, especially when the cylinder price is the same," it said.

A pilot portability scheme was first launched in October 2013 in 24 districts and later extended pan-India in January 2014, covering 480 districts. However, at the time, portability was limited only to choosing dealers within the same company; for instance, a consumer of Indane Gas could shift to another Indane dealer but not to Bharat Gas or HP Gas. Inter-company portability was not legally possible as LPG cylinders had to be returned to the same company for refills.

PNGRB is now looking to enable that shift. "To strengthen continuity of LPG supply and safeguard consumer trust, PNGRB invites views and suggestions from consumers, distributors, civil society organisations, and other stakeholders on measures that could facilitate timely access to refills - by enabling consumers to be served from the nearest available distributor through improved coordination and flexible delivery arrangements within the existing network, particularly during times of disruption," the regulator said.

India has achieved near-universal LPG household coverage with over 32 crore connections as of FY25. Still, PNGRB noted, "persistent consumer grievances remain over 17 lakhs annually."

"While the oil marketing companies (OMCs) do strive to address the grievances, consumers do not have the option of migrating from one OMC/LPG dealer to another," it added.

Highlighting recent complaints, the regulator said: "Recent reports from various regions have highlighted a number of cases of supply disruptions and prolonged delays in LPG refill deliveries, in some cases extending to several weeks. Such service interruptions have caused hardship to households and commercial establishments, particularly in areas where local distributors face suspension or operational constraints. These developments underscore the importance of adopting a continuity-centric approach to safeguard consumers against service failures and to ensure uninterrupted access to this essential fuel."

In the 2014 scheme, OMCs created more than 1,400 clusters across 480 districts, with an average of almost four distributors per cluster. An LPG consumer could switch to any distributor within a cluster of the same company.

Once feedback is received, PNGRB will frame rules and guidelines for full-scale LPG portability and fix a rollout date. Comments have been invited until mid-October.