CHENNAI: The Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) has decided that a customer who has booked an LPG cylinder will have to wait 15 days for the next refill. This includes Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) beneficiaries as well, said P Jayadevan, state head of IOC and state level coordinator for the oil industry in Tamil Nadu & Puducherry.
This is a move to discourage customers from panic buying as it has deprived genuine customers who are in real need of refills, he said.
Jayadevan said all the LPG bottling plants of PSU oil companies are operating normally and regularly, providing sufficient supplies of refill stocks to their distribution networks. The distributors also have adequate stocks for delivery to customers.
Meanwhile, the IOC has introduced a special one-time goodwill measure by providing an ex-gratia amount of Rs 5 lakh in the event of the death of any employees of petrol pump dealers like customer attendants and managers and those of LPG distributors like refill delivery men, showroom staff, godown keepers, LPG mechanics and truck drivers including bulk or pack transporters due to COVID-19.
The one-time ex-gratia amount is being announced as these employees need to be always present physically to ensure supplies to customers. The amount would be given to the spouse or, in the absence of the spouse to the next of kin of the deceased.
Similarly, to lessen the financial burden of the PMUY customers whose earnings have come under severe pressure owing to the lockdown, it has been decided to provide them with three refills free of cost, one each for the months of April, May and June. This would be made available only to the PMUY customers of Indian Oil, BPC and HPC and not to any other category of customers.
The booking of refill must be done through IVRS / registered mobile number. Refill acknowledgement can be OTP based/ Lat-Long Capture/undertaking besides cash memo signature and blue book entry. Customers can book LPG refills from their own homes through SMS/IVRS, WhatsApp @ 7588888824 or online (IndianOilOne APP or https://cx.indianoil.in) or through PayTm for delivery of LPG refill cylinders.