Govt is looking at starting home delivery of petrol, CNG: Pradhan

Indian Oil Corp (IOC), the nation's largest fuel retailer, started home delivery of diesel through a mobile dispenser in 2018. This service is available only in a handful of cities.

After doorstep delivery of diesel, the government is looking at starting home delivery of petrol and CNG for the greater convenience of customers, Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said on Friday.

Also, the government is looking at unveiling a new fuel retailing model where all types of fuels — petrol, diesel, CNG, LNG and LPG — would be available at one place, he said.

Indian Oil Corp (IOC), the nation's largest fuel retailer, started home delivery of diesel through a mobile dispenser in 2018. This service is available only in a handful of cities.

Doorstep delivery of petrol and CNG is said to pose risks due to highly inflammable nature of the fuel, and safe and secure modes approved by relevant authorities need to be evolved. Speaking at a function to inaugurate 56 new CNG stations in 11 states, Pradhan said the government had already started mobile dispensers for diesel. It "would like to expand the same for petrol and LNG," an official statement quoted him as saying. "Pradhan said that people would be able to get the home delivery of the fuel in future." The government, he said, is working on energy efficiency, affordability, security and accessibility.

He envisioned that soon, the customers will have to go to only one place, where all types of fuel — petrol, diesel, CNG, LNG and LPG will be made available.

He said city gas network of CNG supplies to automobiles and piped cooking gas to kitchens will soon cover 72 per cent of the country's population.

He was speaking on the occasion of inauguration of 56 new CNG stations in 11 states including Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, New Delhi, Punjab, Rajasthan, Telangana and Uttar Pradesh.