NEW DELHI, June 1 — The price of commercial LPG cylinders increased across several major metropolitan markets on Sunday, with a standard 19-kilogram cylinder seeing a ₹42 rise in the national capital, according to official ministry sources.
The upward rate revision brings the cost of a 19-kilogram commercial cylinder in Delhi to ₹3,113.50 effective June 1. Similar price adjustments took effect in Kolkata, where commercial rates climbed by ₹53.50 to a new price of ₹3,255.50. Additionally, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas announced an ₹11 increase for smaller 5-kilogram Free Trade LPG cylinders, setting the new Delhi rate at ₹821.50, while asserting that prices for domestic household cooking gas remain completely unchanged.
Ministry representatives stated that the standard commercial price revisions are occurring alongside broader federal initiatives to guarantee long-term fuel security and stabilize national petroleum reserves.
“Regarding strategic reserves, we are working on the strategic reserves also,” Sujata Sharma, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, stated during an inter-ministerial briefing. “And we have asked the oil marketing companies to work out that the LPG reserve that should be minimum 30 days with them and they are working on it.”
Sharma maintained that national fuel reserves remain completely prepared to handle current consumption levels, adding that domestic refineries are performing at maximum capacity. She noted that overall LPG production has climbed to an all-time high of nearly 90 thousand metric tonnes per day, with zero inventory depletions reported among local regional distributors.
The ministry did, however, report unusual purchasing trends in certain areas of the country, driven by agricultural needs and large bulk orders. Overall fuel sales have grown by more than 30 percent, with 14 districts experiencing a doubling of standard petrol purchases, while six other districts saw wholesale shipments drop by 38 percent.
To combat supply hoarding and the illegal diversion of commercial fuel, federal agencies have launched an aggressive enforcement campaign across multiple states.
“In the last four days, there have been 6,500 raids on LPG,” Sharma said. “Five FIRs have been registered and two people have been arrested.”
Supplementary enforcement sweeps at retail fuel stations over a 48-hour window led to the confiscation of 417 liters of petrol and 75,715 liters of diesel fuel. Those targeted inspections resulted in 15 arrests and the filing of 12 formal First Information Reports.
Ministry data indicates that India’s domestic refineries are producing between 50,000 and 52,000 metric tonnes of LPG daily against a total national market demand of roughly 72,000 metric tonnes. Sharma concluded that despite the structural gap, import channels and efficient logistics have successfully reduced the total national LPG supply backlog down to just 4.5 days.
