As the situation of LPG cylinder availability deteriorated in the country, the government on Wednesday urged people not to go for panic buy, asserting that adequate stock of cooking gas is available to meet demand. According to Sujata Sharma, joint secretary in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, oil marketing companies have ramped up LPG production, which has increased by about 25% since the crisis began. Sharma also said that the normal delivery cycle of cylinder delivery is around two-and-a-half days.
“There is some panic booking and hoarding behaviour by miss-information. I want to clarify that our normal delivery cycle for domestic LPG remains around two-and-a-half days,” she added.
India consumes around 31.3 million tonnes of LPG annually, of which nearly 62% is met through imports, mainly from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE. However, due to the ongoing war in the region, supplies from the Gulf have almost stopped. To meet demand, the government and oil companies are actively exploring supply deals with countries such as Canada, the US, and Australia. The government has also prioritised LPG supply for around 30 crore household consumers over commercial users such as restaurants and other businesses. It has also set up a three-member panel to monitor LPG stocks and extend refill cycles to 25 days.
“The government is constantly monitoring energy supplies and undertaking important measures amid the world crisis. We urge (all) to save fuel,” she said.
Meanwhile, disruptions have been reported across the country as commercial establishments face shortages of cooking fuel. According to reports, in Mumbai and Bengaluru, nearly 20% of eateries have shut down due to the crisis. Even the Kashi Vishwanath Temple has simplified its prasad menu, while IRCTC has asked railway catering services to switch to induction cooking.
Several consumers also took to social media complaining about the short supply of domestic LPG cylinders. Many said that distributors were not dispatching cylinders even after bookings made a week or ten days earlier, while some centres displayed notices of “no stock” or reported long queues.
On LNG supply, which is crucial for CNG, PNG, and other industries, Sharma said that about 26% of India’s total requirement has been cut off due to the ongoing conflict in West Asia. She added that out of India’s total gas consumption of 180 mmscmd, about 47.4 mmscmd has been affected.
“India also secured two cargoes of LNG with around 350,000 cubic meters of natural gas and two cargoes of crude oil (4 million barrels) which will be delivered soon,” said Sujata. At present, 28 Indian-flagged vessels are operating in the Persian Gulf region. Of these, 24 vessels are located west of the Strait of Hormuz carrying 677 Indian seafarers, while 4 vessels are east of the Strait with 101 Indian seafarers onboard. Their safety and security are being actively monitored.