Booking a domestic LPG cylinder refill is now just a text message or SMS away.
Petroleum Minister Murli Deora on Monday launched the service, which will be initially available in the national capital and would be extended to other metropolitan cities, state capitals and towns.
Indian Oil Corporation and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd consumers will have to do a one-time registration of their mobile phone number by text messaging their local LPG distributor number and consumer number to 54625 and 52725, respectively.
Thereafter, they are required to type LPG and send it to the same number to book LPG refills.
For Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd consumers, bookings would be done through IVRS system by dialling 9990923456, wherein voice guidance will prompt them to register and book refills.
Customers would get a flash message on confirmation of registration, refill booking and refill delivery.
"These services are part of out Market Vision 2015," Deora said after making the first booking of a refill from his mobile phone.
The three state-run fuel retailers also launched a common toll free number for customer complaints.
Oil firms are tying up with mobile and fixed line telephone service providers to register their new service and slowly connecting all LPG dealers to the network. The service would be available in the entire national capital region (NCR) by September-end and would be rolled out in other metros by the year-end.
"Gradually, all cities having population of more than 5 lakh (500,000) will be covered by the service," Petroleum Secretary R S Pandey said.
Deora said the two schemes launched on Monday would prove to be a milestone in customer satisfaction and will provide better interface between customers and dealers.
"We are going to release 5.5 crore (55 million) new LPG connections by 2015, taking the total number of LPG connections from present 11.5 crore (115 million) to 16 crore (160 million). This would increase coverage from 50 per cent of population at present to 75 per cent."
