The Centre on Sunday announced that it has taken several steps to ensure stable availability of petroleum products and LPG across the country in the wake of the West Asia crisis and advised citizens not to panic.
File Photo: IANS
The Centre on Sunday announced that it has taken several steps to
ensure stable availability of petroleum products and LPG across the
country in the wake of the West Asia crisis and advised citizens not
to panic.
‘’The government remains committed to maintaining adequate LPG
availability for households and essential sectors,’’ said an official
press note released on behalf of the Inter-ministerial committee
dealing with the situation arising from the conflict in West Asia. It
said necessary arrangements are in place to maintain regular supply
and distribution.
Advertisement
The government said all refineries are operating at high capacity and
maintaining adequate crude oil inventories. ‘’Our country remains
self-sufficient in the production of petrol and diesel and no imports
of petrol and diesel are required to meet domestic demand,’’ it added.
Advertisement
The press note said no cases of fuel dry-outs have been reported at
retail outlets by Oil Marketing Companies, and supplies of petrol and
diesel continue to be maintained regularly. ‘’Citizens are advised not
to resort to panic buying as adequate stocks of petrol and diesel are
available across the country,’’ it added.
Regarding natural gas, the Centre said priority sectors continue to
receive protected gas supplies, including 100% supply to PNG and CNG,
while supplies to industrial and commercial consumers are being
regulated at about 80%.
Commercial LPG consumers in major cities and urban areas are being
encouraged to opt for PNG connections and may apply through email,
letter or the customer portal of City Gas Distribution (CGD)
companies.
The government said LPG supply continues to be monitored in view of
the prevailing geopolitical situation. LPG bookings have shown a
decline, with about 77 lakh bookings recorded yesterday compared to
88.8 lakh bookings on 13 March. Online LPG cylinder bookings have
increased from 84% to about 87%.
It said several States and UTs including Bihar, Delhi, Haryana and
Rajasthan have issued orders for allocation of non-domestic LPG in
line with Government guidelines. Commercial LPG cylinders have been
placed at the disposal of state governments for priority distribution
and are now available to consumers in 30 States and UTs.
The government said state governments and UTs continue to play an
important role in monitoring the supply of essential commodities
including petrol, diesel and LPG.
It said state governments are undertaking enforcement measures to
prevent hoarding and black marketing of petrol, diesel and LPG.
The government said it continues to prioritise the interests of
domestic consumers and ensure uninterrupted LPG supply, particularly
for households and priority sectors such as hospitals and educational
institutions. Domestic LPG production from refineries has been
maximised and several supply and demand-side measures have been
implemented.
It said appropriate measures are in place to ensure the safety of
Indian vessels and seafarers operating in the region. Coordination
with shipping authorities and industry stakeholders is being
maintained to support smooth maritime operations. All Indian seafarers
in the region are safe and no shipping incident involving Indian
seafarers has been reported in the past 24 hours.
Advertisement
