HPCL takes to LPG auto-booking of cylinders to fuel refill demand

Distributors say consumers reluctant to accept cylinders not booked by them

Facing flak over the declining number of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinder refills under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY), the government-controlled oil-marketing company Hindustan Petroleum Corporation (HPCL) has started the auto-booking of cylinders for inactive connections.

According to industry estimates, the company has auto-booked, without consumers' knowledge, the first refills of at least 25 per cent of its customers, or about 5 million, under the PMUY, under which free cooking gas connections are given to poor families. 

Of the 80.3 million consumers who have got LPG connections under the PMUY, over 20 million are covered by HPCL. An official source confirmed