50 lakh LPG cylinders being supplied per day, avoid panic booking: Govt

New Delhi, March 12 (SocialNews.XYZ) The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas said on Thursday that all steps are being taken by the Government to ensure uninterrupted energy supplies, with 50 lakh LPG cylinders being delivered every day, so consumers should avoid "panic booking" of cooking gas.

Crude is sourced from more than 40 countries, and 70 per cent of the crude is now coming from routes other than the Strait of Hormuz, which is currently closed, a ministry statement said.

India’s daily oil consumption is 5.5 million barrels, and it is the fourth largest refiner in the world with 22 refineries in the country. Further, refineries are operating at high-capacity utilisation; in several cases, they are exceeding 100 per cent. This large refining capacity is allowing the country a much more comfortable position in terms of availability of petroleum products during the Iran war crisis. availability and sustain the crisis, it said.

There are over 1 lakh retail outlets providing petroleum products, all of which have adequate stocks.

The supply of natural gas has been affected due to force majeure conditions, but the procurement through alternative routes and suppliers is underway to offset this disruption. To manage this situation effectively, the government has issued a Natural Gas Control Order under the Essential Commodities Act to prioritise the supply, the statement said.

The global situation is challenging, but the Government has taken many steps to maintain the demand-supply balance. These include enhancing production of LPG by the refineries with the entire output of C3 and C4 hydrocarbon streams, comprising propane, butane, propylene, and butane being provided exclusively to the three oil marketing companies for domestic cooking gas. Hence, in the last five days, LPG production has been increased by 28 per cent through refinery directives. Further procurement is actively underway, the statement said.

There are more than 25,000 distributors all over the country, and no 'dry out' has been reported. More than 50 lakh cylinders are delivered every day. However, there has been a sharp rise in bookings of LPG cylinders due to panic. Consumers have therefore been urged to avoid panic booking, cooperate with authorities, and conserve fuel where possible during this period of global uncertainty, the statement said.

For non-domestic LPG, priority is being given to essential sectors such as hospitals and educational institutions.

A three-member committee of Executive Directors from IOCL, HPCL and BPCL has been constituted to review allocations to restaurants, hotels and other commercial users. The committee is consulting with state authorities and industry bodies to finalise a plan to ensure that available LPG is distributed in a fair and transparent manner. In a major decision, 20 per cent of the average monthly commercial LPG requirement will be allocated from today by OMCs, in coordination with the state governments, so that there is no hoarding or black marketing.

Alternative fuel options are being activated to ease pressure on LPG and gas channels. Kerosene is being made available through retail outlets and PDS channels, and fuel oil is being made available for industrial and commercial consumers.

The Ministry of Environment has advised State Pollution Control Boards to permit, for the duration of this crisis period, the use of biomass, RDF pellets, and kerosene/coal as alternative fuels for the hospitality and restaurant segment for one month, which would enable a wider range of establishments to switch and free up LPG for priority consumers.

The Ministry of Coal has also issued orders to allot higher quantities of coal to state-nominated agencies and allocated these to small, medium, and other consumers.

Source: IANS