VIJAYAWADA: Amid escalation of the West Asia conflict, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu reviewed LPG stocks and cylinder supply in the state during the Collectors Conference held at the State Secretariat on Wednesday. Explaining the status of LPG reserves, Secretary (Civil Supplies) Saurabh Gaur informed that there is no crisis at present.
He said there are 1.61 lakh domestic and 10 lakh commercial gas connections in the state. HPCL, IOCL, BPCL and other companies supply LPG. While there is a demand for 4,000 metric tonnes of gas a day in the state, 21,505 metric tonnes of gas reserves are available now.
The Chief Minister constituted a Group of Ministers comprising Nadendla Manohar (Civil Supplies), K Atchannaidu (Agriculture) and Payyavula Keshav (Finance) to review market conditions of LPG and horticultural products.
The Chief Minister directed officials to continuously monitor the situation through RTGS and submit reports to the government. He said there should be no interruption in the supply of LPG to schools and hospitals.
Though there is no shortage anywhere at present, the Centre should be consulted to avoid any problems, he said, adding that immediate corrective measures should be taken in case of any difficulties arising due to the impact of the West Asia conflict.
District Collectors were told to explore alternative markets for products such as eggs and bananas. The Chief Minister asserted that strict vigilance should be maintained to prevent LPG cylinders from being diverted to the black market.