The Oil Ministry on 13 March informed that LPG bookings have surged to 75.7 lakh against an average of 55.7 lakh in the pre-war period, showing panic booking. “There is no need for panic booking; no dry out at any LPG dealer,” Sujata Sharma, Joint Secretary (Marketing & Oil Refinery), Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas stated at a media briefing today.
“The supply of PNG (Piped Natural Gas) to domestic consumers and CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) is being ensured without any interruptions or cuts. Given this situation, there is absolutely no need for panic,” she added.
Govt assures domestic, commercial customers of supply
Sujata Sharma, Joint Secretary (Marketing & Oil Refinery), Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas, says, “Uninterrupted supply to domestic households has been ensured. Similarly, LPG supplies are also being provided to hospitals and educational institutions. Domestic production of LPG has increased by 30% as of today; compared to March 5th, our refineries are currently producing 30% more LPG. Regarding commercial cylinders, these have been placed at the disposal of the State Governments to facilitate priority distribution. We are requesting the State Governments to determine the priority criteria and ensure that these commercial cylinders effectively reach the intended consumers.”
Further, on the status of commercial consumers in major urban cities and centres—many of whom are facing difficulties due to their reliance on LPG supplies, Sharma said the government is “making every effort to address their concerns”.
“We appeal to all such commercial consumers to contact their local CGD (City Gas Distribution) network provider or their designated dealer to obtain a PNG connection,” Sharma added.
‘India self-sufficient in producing petrol, diesel’
Further, Sharma added that India is “self-sufficient” in producing petrol and diesel, and there is no need to import these fuels.
“As far as crude oil is concerned, we possess a refining capacity of 258 million metric tons. We are self-sufficient in the production of petrol and diesel; consequently, there is no need to import these fuels into India. All our refineries are currently operating at 100% capacity or higher,” she stated.
Sharma added that refineries hold adequate inventories of crude oil, and supplies are being consistently maintained.
Petrol and diesel are available in adequate quantities at all petrol pumps… Regarding LPG, I would like to state that this remains a matter of concern for us. Nevertheless, despite this situation, no dry out has been reported at any of our 25,000 distributors. I would like to appeal to all fellow citizens not to give credence to rumors and to refrain from engaging in panic buying.
(With inputs from agencies)
