Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), one of the three leading LPG suppliers in India, will consider an apartment complex installed with reticulated supply system as single unit, and will supply each such complex only six subsidized LPG cylinders a year irrespective of the number of households in a given block.

BPCL has already issued advisories to apartment complexes that are using its services. The BPCL communiqué pointed out that a complex having multiple flats would be treated as one customer and thus would be entitled to just three subsidized cooking gas cylinders from September 14 to March 31 next year.

The Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) is also expected to issue a similar order soon.

A complex of 100 apartments with reticulated supply system will empty six cylinders within 15 days. A complex with 100 apartments uses nearly 150 cylinders a year. Oil companies will, of course, supply non-subsidized LPG cylinders beyond the limit of six, but un-subsidized cylinders will cost more than double of subsidized cylinder's rate.

It may be noted here that the rate for unsubsidized LPG cylinders will undergo change every month. The rate of unsubsidized LPG cylinder for the current month is Rs 925.

The oil companies' decision will definitely inflate the complex apartment dwellers' average monthly bills. At present, a family of four in such complexes receives an average bill of Rs 250 to Rs 300 per month for metered use of subsidized LPG.