LPG Distributors Protest in Delhi Over Commission; Strike Threatened

Cooking gas distributors belonging to the LPG Distributors Association of India (LDAI) gathered at the CBD Ground in east Delhi on Monday, 26 October, for a protest scheduled from noon to 5 pm, demanding a higher commission and an end to rules that cut their customer base in piped-gas areas. LDAI has warned of an indefinite nationwide strike if the demands are not met, according to reports in Navbharat Live and ETV Bharat. Two other federations, FLDI and AILDF, have refused to join and asked their members to keep delivering cylinders.

Cylinder Deliveries Continue for Now

No halt in supply has been announced. The Federation of LPG Distributors of India (FLDI) said in a 25 October statement that it was in touch with the petroleum ministry and the oil companies and had been assured that problems would be addressed; the ministry has not confirmed this publicly. The All India HP Gas Distributors Association also said disputes should be settled through talks. A strike by LDAI members alone could delay bookings and deliveries in some areas, but how many distributors would take part is not clear.

Five Years Without a Commission Revision

Distributors say the commission on domestic cylinders has not been revised in about five years while their costs have risen. LDAI president B S Sharma said the association had waited a long time since the last increase. At a convention in Bhopal in April 2025, the same association sought at least ₹150 a cylinder and threatened a strike within three months, as Deccan Herald reported then. Its current list includes ₹75 more for home delivery and administration, ₹236 for each e-KYC, and an end to the compulsory surrender of LPG connections by households that move to piped natural gas.

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That surrender rule dates to March 2026, when the petroleum ministry barred PNG households from keeping or getting domestic LPG connections, citing supply disruption from the West Asia crisis. Distributors also allege that some oil company officials pushed them to sell stoves, tubes and lighters, and sent commercial cylinders in place of domestic ones.

Interim Increase Awaits Ministry Approval

At a 21 October meeting at Indian Oil’s Mumbai headquarters, the marketing directors of IOC, BPCL and HPCL told distributor bodies that a commission revision proposal had been sent to the ministry and that they would recommend an interim increase, ETV Bharat reported. The ministry has not approved it, and no amount or date has been made public. The Petroleum Ministry had not responded publicly to LDAI’s demands by 12 noon IST on 26 October.

For earlier coverage of cooking gas prices, see IPB’s report on the LPG price hike and more in Daily Updates.

Source: All India Radio report on the petroleum ministry’s PNG-LPG order. Also based on reporting by Navbharat Live and ETV Bharat.

Image: IANS.