Patna: The Bihar government has tightened regulations on the distribution of LPG cylinders for wedding ceremonies, introducing a new requirement that families must produce a wedding invitation card and disclose guest numbers to local authorities before receiving gas allocations, amid a worsening cooking gas shortage in the state.
Officials say the move is intended to ease pressure on domestic LPG supplies during the upcoming wedding season, which begins on April 14 after the end of Kharmas. Under the revised system, applications for cylinders without a valid wedding card will not be accepted.
In a directive issued by Special Secretary Upendra Kumar to district magistrates and major oil marketing companies—including Indian Oil Corporation, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited—authorities have been asked to strictly enforce the new rules to prevent disruption in supply to household consumers.
Families hosting weddings will now be required to apply to the Sub-Divisional Officer in their respective areas, submitting a copy of the invitation card along with details of expected guests and the estimated number of cylinders required. After verification, the SDO will approve allocations and issue instructions to the concerned oil companies.
The government has also barred the use of domestic LPG cylinders for large-scale events such as weddings, making commercial cylinders mandatory. Officials argue that the widespread diversion of household cylinders for catering at events has contributed to shortages affecting ordinary consumers.
Caterers and cooks involved in wedding arrangements will also be required to register in order to access commercial gas connections, with the process expected to be completed within five to seven days.
The new measures come as Bihar grapples with a deepening LPG shortage. The situation has been reported as particularly severe in districts including Patna, East Champaran, West Champaran and Darbhanga. In Patna alone, officials say more than 162,000 households are waiting for cylinder connections, while across the state the backlog has risen to around 1.656 million.
Waiting times for LPG refills have stretched to around 48 days in urban areas and 55 days in rural regions, forcing widespread disruption to everyday cooking needs.
Authorities have instructed officials to ensure strict compliance with the new framework, saying the aim is to stabilise supply during the high-demand wedding season and prevent further strain on an already stretched distribution system.
