The Union government has mandated that households using liquefied petroleum gas must shift to piped natural gas in areas where infrastructure and supplies for it are available.

The mandate comes amid disruptions in energy supplies to India since the conflict in West Asia broke out on February 28. Iran has effectively blocked the strategic Strait of Hormuz for most international commercial vessels. About 20% of global petroleum supply passes through the maritime chokepoint.

This has also affected LPG supplies in India. The country imports about 60% of its LPG demand, most of it from Gulf countries.

Due to the disruptions, the Union government has been appealing to consumers to switch to PNG if it is available, so as to take some pressure off LPG supplies. It has also offered additional commercial LPG allocation to states if they undertake measures to ease the expansion of the PNG network.

On Tuesday, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas notified the 2026 Natural Gas and Petroleum Products Distribution Through Laying, Building, Operation and Expansion of Pipelines and Other Facilities Order under the Essential Commodities Act.

The order is aimed at accelerating pipeline infrastructure, easing approvals and promoting a shift from LPG to PNG to strengthen energy security. It states that LPG supply will cease after three months if a household does not opt for PNG...

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