GURUGRAM: Forget waiting days for the gas man to show up. Gurugram has quietly revolutionised how Indians refill their cooking gas, installing the country’s first LPG ATM, a smart vending machine that hands over a full cylinder in under three minutes, any time of day or night.
The Bharatgas Insta LPG machine, tucked into the Central Park Flower Valley residential complex in Sector 33, Sohna, is the first of its kind in the National Capital Region. Built by Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) as a pilot, it dispenses lightweight composite cylinders, roughly half the weight of a traditional iron one, via a fully automated, contactless process.
Using it is straightforward. Residents with a registered Bharatgas composite cylinder connection tap in their mobile number, receive an OTP, scan the QR code on their empty cylinder, pay via UPI or debit card, and collect a full one. The machine stores the empty cylinder, closes the hatch, and the whole transaction is done in two to three minutes.
The composite cylinders themselves are a significant upgrade. Traditional metal ones weigh around 31kg in total, with 14kg of gas plus 17kg of steel. The fibre-based version carries the same quantity of gas but tips the scales at just 15kg. A transparent body means users can check how much gas remains without hoisting the thing off the floor.
The machine holds up to ten cylinders at a time. When stock drops to two, it automatically alerts the nearest gas agency to replenish. Officials say the system is entirely self-managing.
There is, however, a catch. Despite the machine having been operational for some time, only four cylinders have been dispensed so far. Most residents simply do not know it exists. Awareness, not technology, is the real bottleneck.
BPCL says the pilot is designed to test automated LPG dispensing in select locations before any wider rollout. If it works, and officials insist the ATM will keep running long after current supply pressures ease, similar machines could spread to residential complexes across India.
The age of waiting in for the gas delivery man may, at last, be running out.
