PATNA, April 4 -- The Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) has initiated action against erring LPG distributors in Bihar and Jharkhand, suspending licences and issuing show-cause notices over alleged irregularities in cylinder delivery, even as delays in domestic LPG refills continue to mount amid the ongoing West Asia conflict, officials said on Friday. As part of the crackdown, IOCL on Thursday suspended the licence of Sulabh Indane in Phulwarisharif, Patna, and Kutmu Indane in Jharkhand's Palamu district. The action comes as the government intensified monitoring of LPG distribution systems to address supply disruptions and consumer grievances. The Bihar government has taken serious note of complaints from consumers, particularly instances where customers reported not receiving LPG refills despite receiving SMS confirmations of delivery. Reviewing the situation on Thursday, chief secretary Pratyaya Amrit directed oil marketing companies (OMCs) to take strict action against erring distributors. He also instructed district magistrates to continue enforcement drives to check misuse of domestic LPG cylinders and irregularities in the supply chain. Enforcement action has already led to multiple cases across districts. Officials said 20 FIRs have been registered in Patna, 11 each in Rohtas and Saharsa, seven in Muzaffarpur, and five in Madhubani in connection with supply irregularities. Seizures of domestic LPG cylinders have also been reported, including 369 in Saharsa, 119 in Madhubani, 108 in Patna, and 107 in Supaul. Most cases relate to diversion of domestic LPG for commercial use. Meanwhile, delivery timelines have worsened. In Patna, the average waiting period for a refill has increased from one day during the pre-crisis period to 4.5 days, largely due to panic booking. The government has put a cap of 25 days in urban areas and 45 days in rural areas between the delivery of the last cylinder and booking a new one. Districts such as Rohtas and West Champaran have reported backlogs of up to 6.2 days, while Gaya and Darbhanga have recorded delays of 5.4 days and five days, respectively. The state-wide average backlog stood at 4.4 days as of Thursday. The control room set up by the food and consumer protection department on March 13 has received over 4,500 complaints so far. Most grievances relate to difficulties in rebooking cylinders, delivery delays, non-responsive distributors, non-receipt of delivery activation codes (DAC), and issues during booking and delivery. Officials said complaints regarding "missed deliveries" - where customers receive delivery confirmation without actual supply - have also surfaced, though in smaller numbers. Around 80% of complaints have been resolved promptly, they added. The number of daily complaints has shown a declining trend, dropping from 442 on March 18 to 137 on April 1, with a total of 4,585 complaints recorded so far, indicating gradual improvement in the situation, the officials added....