Ahead of the festival season, State Food and Civil Supplies Minister Anoop Jacob has written to Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, requesting that the waiting period for domestic cooking gas supply be reduced during Onam. Currently, the waiting period for domestic fuel booking is 25 days in urban areas and 45 days in rural areas.

Since there is additional demand during Onam, the undue waiting period enforced will adversely affect families. Therefore, to avoid an LPG shortage, the restrictions imposed on gas refill booking in the State should be withdrawn immediately, the Minister said in the letter.

The Minister also pointed out in the letter that during the festive season, when LPG availability is most needed beyond the normal usage limit, households require more cooking gas than the average consumption. This is also a time when large numbers of people from far away come home to spend the festive season with their loved ones, said the letter.