Enforcement efforts in the past 24 hours have resulted in nearly 2,500 raids under the Enforcement Act leading to the seizure of 2,000 cylinders, according to the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, amid fears of a shortage of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) fueled by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. He added that PSU Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) have issued more than 500 show cause notices after conducting surprise checks.
She informed that all states and UTs except Delhi have set up control rooms to deal with black marketing and hoarding of LPG.
“More than 2,500 raids were conducted across states/UTs in the last 24 hours, with more than 2,000 bottles seized. Enforcement efforts need to be stepped up in some states/UTs including Bihar, Jharkhand, Kerala and some northeastern states,” the ministry said.
He added, “Officials of PSU OMCs also conduct daily surprise inspections at RO and LPG distributors across the country to ensure smooth supply and check any hoarding / cases of black marketing. OMC PSUs have so far issued more than 500 show cause notices to LPG distributors.”
In the last two days “1.4 million bookings of which 92 million cylinders were delivered”
Sujata Sharma, Joint Secretary (Marketing and Petroleum Refinery) in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, said India has sufficient fuel reserves to meet the current demand.
The ministry said natural gas supplies to domestic users and CNG transportation are fully maintained, noting that around 95% of LPG bookings were made online the previous day. She also said the government has taken several measures to ensure stability, including a reduction in excise duty on petrol and diesel ₹10 and the imposition of export taxes to ensure domestic availability of diesel and aviation turbine fuel (ATF).
She highlighted the expansion of the Piped Natural Gas (PNG) network and mentioned that several central ministries, including the Ministry of Defence, have issued guidelines to support its deployment in residential areas and unit lines.
“About 1.4 million bookings have been made in the last two days out of which 92 million cylinders have also been delivered. As you know, commercial LPG has been distributed by the Indian government. The Indian government has increased the availability of commercial LPG by about 70% and has talked about giving priority to Dhaba, restaurants, industrial canteens and Migrant Sharma,” ANI quoted him as saying.
She further said, “I would like to tell you that about 2,60,000 5kg FTL (Free Trade LPG) cylinders have been sold after this order was issued last week.”
The government also announced the allocation of 48,000 additional units of kerosene for quarterly distribution, bolstered by a March 29 budget announcement aimed at helping states that had earlier declared themselves kerosene-free.
