Households across Bihar are currently facing a major shortage of LPG cylinders due to supply chain issues. As of March 14, 2026, petroleum companies including Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum, and Hindustan Petroleum have temporarily stopped issuing new LPG connections. The conversion of single bottle connections to double bottle connections has also been put on hold to manage the existing gas stock. This step was taken to ensure that regular consumers continue to get their domestic gas supply without major interruptions.
What are the new rules for cylinder booking?
To control the situation and stop artificial shortages caused by panic booking, the authorities have introduced strict gap rules between cylinder refills. Indian Oil has also removed the OTP requirement for delivery to solve server issues and speed up the process. A mandatory KYC rule now requires the physical presence of the consumer at the gas agency to prevent unauthorized hoarding.
- Urban Areas: Consumers must wait a minimum of 25 days between two cylinder bookings.
- Rural Areas: A minimum gap of 45 days is mandatory between bookings.
- Commercial Rationing: Commercial LPG supply is now restricted to 20 percent of the average monthly requirement.
- Priority Supply: Domestic households, hospitals, and educational institutions are kept on high priority.
Why is there a sudden shortage of LPG in Bihar?
The main reason behind this gas shortage is geopolitical tensions in West Asia, which have disrupted LPG imports. India imports around 60 percent of its LPG, and a large portion passes through affected trade routes. Along with this supply chain disruption, technical failures on booking platforms and sudden panic booking by common people have made the situation worse. The ground reality shows that people in districts like Patna, Bhagalpur, and Gaya are waiting 5 to 10 days for their refill deliveries.
How is the Bihar Government controlling the situation?
The state government and local administration are actively monitoring the distribution process. Patna District Magistrate Thiyagarajan SM clarified that there is no actual shortage but a supply chain management issue. He has deployed magistrates at all 138 gas agencies in Patna to stop black marketing. Deputy CM Samrat Choudhary stated that refineries are ordered to increase domestic LPG production by 25 percent to meet the demand.
Consumers facing delivery issues or overcharging can contact the dedicated LPG helpline for Patna at 0612-2219810 between 9:00 AM and 6:00 PM.
