New Delhi, May 18: The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas announced on Monday that despite supply chain disruptions due to the Middle East crisis, the supply of cooking gas remains stable across the country. In the past four days, over 17.2 million domestic LPG cylinders have been delivered, compared to approximately 16.9 million bookings.
The ministry confirmed that no retail distributor has reported a shortage of gas. On Sunday, the level of online LPG cylinder bookings reached nearly 99% across the industry.
To combat black marketing, the delivery authentication code (DAC) system, sent to consumers’ registered mobile numbers, has increased to about 95%. In addition, around 190,000 small 5-kilogram LPG cylinders were sold in the last four days, primarily used by migrant workers.
Furthermore, a total of 25,204 metric tons of commercial LPG were sold during this period. A three-member committee of executive directors from Indian Oil Corporation Limited, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited, and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited is collaborating with state governments and industry organizations to strategize commercial LPG sales in various states, including Jammu and Kashmir.
Since March 2026, gas supply has commenced for approximately 737,000 piped natural gas (PNG) connections, with infrastructure prepared for an additional 276,000 connections, bringing the total to 1.013 million. Additionally, around 776,000 new customers have registered.
The statement emphasized ongoing efforts to prevent LPG hoarding and black marketing, with over 6,950 raids conducted nationwide in the last four days. Public sector oil companies have intensified surprise inspections, imposing fines in several locations.
During this time, officials from public sector oil companies inspected nearly 2,800 petrol pumps and LPG distributorships. Fines were levied on 428 LPG distributorships, and as of Sunday, 80 distributorships have been suspended.
The Petroleum Ministry assured that despite the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, all necessary measures are being taken to ensure the uninterrupted availability of petroleum products and LPG across the country. Local LPG production from refineries has also been increased to meet domestic demand.
Citizens are urged not to panic-buy petrol, diesel, and LPG, and to rely solely on official sources for accurate information. LPG consumers are encouraged to book through digital platforms and avoid visiting distributors in person.
The ministry reported that all refineries are operating at high capacity and have sufficient crude oil reserves. Additionally, the central government has reduced the export duty on diesel from ₹23 to ₹16.50 per liter, on ATF from ₹33 to ₹16 per liter, and set the export duty on petrol at ₹3 per liter. There is also an adequate supply of petrol and diesel available at all petrol pumps across the country.
Leave a Comment