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Amid hotel closures, Centre says some commercial LPG cylinders ‘will be released’
The oil ministry also said that 40,000 kilolitre of additional kerosene has been allocated to states as an alternative to LPG.
Amid closure of hotels and restaurants over concerns of fuel shortage, the ministry of petroleum and natural gas on Thursday announced that some commercial liquid petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders will be released, adding that state governments will identify beneficiaries.
The oil ministry also said that 40,000 kilolitre of additional kerosene has been allocated to states as an alternative to LPG,.
Sujata Sharma, joint secretary, ministry of petroleum and natural gas, said during an inter-ministerial briefing that almost 50 lakh cylinders are delivered on a daily basis, adding that no dry out has been reported "on the distribution side".
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"But there is a manifold increase in bookings because of the panic. We urge the citizens to avoid panic booking...State governments have been requested to identify the list of beneficiaries so that the delivery of the cylinder, commercial cylinder, can be made on a priority basis," Sharma added.
She further said that every quarter, the government makes an allocation of almost 1 lakh kilolitre of kerosene to the states. "Today, the order has been released and another 48,000 kilolitres of kerosene will be released to the state governments," she added.
Following yesterday's figure of 25 per cent, Sharma said that the LPG production has now increased to 28 per cent. "We have a very vast network of retail outlets. Almost one lakh retail outlets are operating in the country. The majority of these are with public sector oil marketing companies. No dry out has been reported on any of these retail outlets," she said during the press briefing.
Panic to book cylinders
Fears and concerns over the LPG shortage have been taking over the states across the country. Consumers have been rushing to their gas agencies in a panic to book cylinders.
Amid the ongoing panic, senior Delhi police officials reportedly directed their officers to prepare a list of gas agencies in their respective jurisdictions and deploy personnel to maintain the law and order situation.
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The move also aims to curtail any attempts at black marketing cooking gas cylinders during the ongoing supply crunch, and ensure smooth distribution of the cylinders.
"The SHOs will deploy police personnel along with PCR vans and motorcycle patrol riders near gas agencies to maintain law and order and ensure that the distribution process remains smooth," a senior officer was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
Several hotels and restaurants have also reportedly closed their doors amid the shortage.
Oil minister's ‘full assurance’
Union petroleum minister Hardeep Singh Puri, earlier in the day, briefed the Lok Sabha about the current situation, assuring that there is "no shortage of fuel" in India amid mounting concerns due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the world's biggest oil chokepoint.
"There is no shortage of petrol, diesel, kerosene, ATF or fuel oil. The availability of petrol, diesel, aviation and fuel oil is fully assured," he said.
He further affirmed that the country's crude oil and domestic LPG supply are also "fully protected".
