New Delhi: Amid nationwide concerns over gas supply shortage, the Union government has prohibited domestic households with piped natural gas (PNG) connections from retaining or obtaining domestic liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders in a gazette order on Saturday (March 14).The order, issued by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, was passed as the Liquefied Petroleum Gas (Regulation of Supply and Distribution) Amendment Order, 2026, effective immediately.“No person having a Piped Natural Gas connection and also having a domestic LPG connection shall retain a domestic LPG connection, or take refills of domestic LPG cylinders from any Government oil company, or through their distributors,” the notification stated.The ministry has asked consumers who have both, a PNG connection and LPG cylinders, to surrender their domestic LPG connection.“Such persons will be required to immediately surrender their domestic LPG connection,” it stated.It further stated that people with a PNG connection cannot apply for an LPG connection, or take refills of domestic LPG cylinders from any government oil company, or through their distributors.The order also directed oil companies to not provide a domestic LPG connection, and/or supply domestic LPG cylinder refills to a consumer who already owns piped natural gas. This prohibition was added as a revised rule under Schedule I of the order.LPG supplies across South Asia, including in India, have been under pressure due to disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz amid the US-Israeli war in West Asia. The Strait of Hormuz is a key trade and energy route handling a major share of oil and gas shipments.India imports about 60% of the LPG it consumes, nearly 90% of which passes through the Strait of Hormuz.The government has ordered domestic LPG production to be increased by 25% even as all domestic LPG production is being directed towards household consumers.Ministry of Petroleum spokesperson Sujata Sharma during a media briefing on Saturday said that two vessels – Nanda Devi and Shivalik – carrying 92,700 metric tons of LPG cylinders, have crossed the Strait of Hormuz and are on their way to India. They are expected to reach Indian shores by March 16 and 17 respectively.The ministry earlier also said that procurement of natural gas through alternative suppliers and routes was underway to offset disruptions. Gas companies have also secured LNG cargoes from new sources and two LNG cargoes are on their way to the country, the ministry has said.On March 13, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri also told the parliament that India’s crude oil supply position is cured with non-Hormuz sourcing increased to about 70%. While the government, along with Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum and HP, have maintained that systems are geared to maintain a steady flow of gas supply, people across states continue to queue up outside gas agencies, shops and warehouses in panic over the shortage. Sharma also said that police were continuously carrying out raids and surprise inspections “to curb black marketing and hoarding”.