New Delhi: The Delhi government on Saturday formulated a policy to regulate the distribution of commercial LPG cylinders, allowing up to 20% of the average daily commercial consumption, priority-wise, given the constraints due to the disruption in the supply chain.
Under the priority system, educational institutions, hospitals, railways and airports have been placed in the first category and will receive 100% of their requirement, accounting for around 200 cylinders per day.
The department of food, supplies and consumer affairs said the measure has been taken in compliance with directions from the Union government and in coordination with oil marketing companies.
“In compliance with the directions of the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas (MoP&NG), Government of India, to make available up to 20% of the average daily commercial LPG cylinder consumption in Delhi, and in coordination with the three Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs), the following policy for distribution of commercial LPG cylinders in the NCT of Delhi during the present scarcity situation is hereby issued,” the order, a copy of which was accessed by HT, said.
Officials said the move is aimed at ensuring that essential services continue to receive uninterrupted supply while the limited availability of commercial LPG is distributed across sectors in a regulated manner.
The government noted that the average daily sale of commercial LPG cylinders in Delhi is around 9,000 cylinders of 19kg equivalent, supplied by the three oil marketing companies. And in line with the order, this will entail making 1,800 cylinders available for regulated distribution.
Government and public sector undertakings, along with departments and canteens operating on their premises, have been placed in the second-priority category, accounting for 236 cylinders daily.
The largest share of the regulated supply, about 42% or 762 cylinders per day, has been allocated to restaurants and eateries, which form the biggest segment of commercial LPG users in the city. Restaurant associations termed the order as forward-looking and a ray of hope for the industry.
“This definitely is a very favourable order and a lifeline for the restaurant industry amid the uncertainty that has prevailed over the last week. This will definitely make things a bit comfortable and we are thankful to the government,” said Sandeep Goyle, president of the National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI), Delhi.
Other sectors have also been assigned specific quotas under the policy. Hotels, hospitality units, guest houses and trusts have been allocated about 72 cylinders daily; dairies, bakeries and sweet shops will receive around 200 cylinders daily; caterers and banquet halls will get 162 daily; dry cleaning, packaging and pharmaceutical units will get 18 cylinders daily, and sports facilities, stadiums and other establishments will get 150 per day.
“Priority-1 sectors typically consume not more than 200 cylinders per day, but due to their essential nature, they shall be supplied up to 100% of their requirement,” the order said.