Srinagar: LPG Association Jammu and Kashmir president Jagmohan Singh Raina has urged the Central Government to reduce the interval for booking LPG refills from 25 days to 15 days in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and the northeastern states, citing increased fuel consumption during winter.
Raina said the reported 25-day waiting period for booking the next cylinder created difficulties for households in cold and hilly regions, where cooking fuel consumption rises significantly during the winter months.
He said an LPG cylinder that normally lasts a household nearly a month may be exhausted within 15 days during harsh winter conditions in Kashmir.
Seeking region-specific relaxation, Raina appealed to the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas and oil marketing companies to consider the climatic and geographical challenges faced by residents instead of applying uniform restrictions across regions.
He said LPG refill policies should account for local temperatures, household requirements and the longer winters experienced in mountainous areas.
Raina also highlighted the difficulties faced by government employees posted in Kashmir whose families continue to live in Jammu. He said such employees may need separate cooking arrangements at their place of posting and their family residences.
He urged the government to examine the possibility of allowing eligible families living separately due to official postings to maintain separate LPG connections, subject to existing rules and eligibility criteria.
With winter approaching, Raina called for timely intervention by the Centre, saying changes to the refill booking policy would provide relief to households in regions experiencing severe cold.
He stressed that policies governing essential commodities should take into account the distinct climatic and geographical conditions of people living in mountainous areas.
