NEW DELHI: With LPG shortage deepening amid escalation in the war between Iran and US-Israel, the government on Friday admitted that the situation remains a matter of concern.
The disruption in supply of cooking gas has particularly impacted commercial establishments such as restaurants and hotels. To address the issue, the government has suggested commercial users switch to coal and kerosene.
Coal India has issued orders to ensure that coal is made available to small, medium, and other commercial consumers so that alternative fuel options remain accessible.
Briefing reporters on Friday, Sujata Sharma, joint secretary in the petroleum ministry, said LPG is a matter of concern for the government but there is no dry out at any of the 25,000 distributors.
Sharma said the real issue is panic buying rather than an actual disruption in supply for domestic consumers. On normal days, 50 lakh LPG cylinder bookings are made, but the number has now shot up to 75 lakh bookings per day.
To address the shortage, the government has sanctioned an additional allocation of 48,000 kilolitres of LPG over and above the regular quota.
According to the government, there is no shortage of piped natural gas (PNG) and households that have access to PNG infrastructure may shift to it to conserve LPG. Official data shows that around seven lakh LPG customers have the option to switch to PNG.