Pune: The district administration has made OTP-based delivery of domestic LPG cylinders compulsory and directed distributors to complete home delivery within 96 hours of booking, issuing a detailed order to oil companies and gas agencies after plaints of delays, crowding and irregular distribution across the district.At a review meeting on Monday, the district administration instructed that domestic cylinders must be supplied only through OTP verification and that direct distribution from godowns, agencies or any other location should be completely stopped. Gas agencies have also been told to stop manual booking and ensure that every refill is delivered through the authorised system.The order makes it mandatory for distributors to complete delivery within 96 hours of booking and to display boards outside their offices stating that cylinders will be delivered only through OTP within the stipulated time, and that customers should not gather at agencies. They have also been asked to send SMS texts to registered customers informing them about the new rules.To prevent misuse, the administration has directed agencies to strictly follow the waiting-period rules for second refills. In municipal corporation and council areas, a second cylinder cannot be supplied before 25 days, while in rural areas the minimum gap must be 45 days. The order also states that the 25-day rule must be strictly enforced in industrial areas such as Hinjewadi.Oil companies have been instructed to increase daily supply capacity and issue written directions to all distributors regarding distribution procedures. Gas agencies must submit daily information on cylinder demand and supply to the district administration, officials said.The order also warned that agencies must ensure no illegal sale or diversion takes place and that staff should be kept under strict supervision.It added, “If anyone creates obstructions in cylinder distribution, a complaint must be filed at a police station.”Despite the tighter rules, distributors said meeting the 96-hour deadline may be difficult because of uneven supply and a sudden increase in bookings in recent days.“We have been told to complete delivery within four days, but supply itself has not been consistent. In our agency, pending bookings have crossed a couple of thousand and waiting time has gone beyond a week,” an IOCL distributor said, requesting anonymity.A BPCL dealer said the delays are not due to shortage of domestic cylinders but because of panic booking by consumers. “Demand has gone up three to four times in the last few days. Many people are booking early or booking again out of fear, so the backlog has increased even though supply is coming,” he said.Dealers who attended the meeting with the administration said they were told to continue home delivery even in areas where crowds gather and customers argue with delivery staff. “We were instructed to ensure delivery within 96 hours, but if cylinders are not available, it becomes difficult to clear the backlog,” one distributor said.Officials in the petroleum and natural gas sector said LPG allocation is currently being prioritised for household consumption and that states have been asked to decide how limited supplies are distributed among different sectors.A distributor said, “The OTP system was mandatory earlier as well, but customers were coming to the agency and taking cylinders first and giving the OTP later because the system is slow and OTPs take time to generate. Now, we have been told this will stop and cylinders cannot be given without an OTP. The oil companies will have to fix the system so that OTPs are generated instantly, otherwise we will not be able to give cylinders to customers without an OTP.“
