New Delhi, April 16
Supply of LPG to domestic households remains normal against online bookings, which have increased to 98 per cent, and no dry-outs have been reported at distributorships despite the supply being affected due to the prevailing geopolitical situation, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas said on Thursday.
The government has ensured that 100 per cent supply is being made to domestic LPG, domestic PNG, and CNG for vehicles, the ministry said in a statement.
Deliveries based on the Authentication Code (DAC) received on the registered mobile number of the consumer have increased to around 92 per cent, which is preventing diversion at the distributor level, it said.
About 4.58 lakh PNG connections have been gasified, and about 5.1 lakh additional customers have registered for new connections since March this year.
Till April 15, about 35,000 PNG consumers have surrendered their LPG connections via MYPNGD.in website. States have been advised to facilitate new PNG connections for domestic and commercial consumers.
For commercial LPG, priority has been given to hospitals and educational institutions. Besides this, priority has also been given to pharma, steel, automobile, seed and agriculture. In addition to this, the supply of 5 kg LPG cylinders to migrant labour is also doubled based on the average daily supply on March 2 and 3.
Citizens are advised to avoid panic purchase of petrol, diesel, and LPG as the government is making all efforts to ensure availability of petrol, diesel and LPG. Beware of rumours and rely on official sources for correct information, the ministry said.
LPG consumers are requested to use digital booking platforms and avoid visiting distributors.
About 15.5 lakh 5 kg LPG cylinders have been sold since March 23. On Wednesday, 7930 MT of commercial LPG (equivalent to more than 4.17 lakh - 19 Kg cylinders) was sold, the statement said.
Average auto LPG sales by public sector oil companies so far in April are around 286 MT per day against the average of 177 MT per day during February. Auto LPG sales are observed to have shifted from private to public sector companies. To meet the rising demand, the sale of auto LPG by the PSUs has increased by 62 per cent. The major increase has been observed in states like Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Rajasthan, and West Bengal.
A total of 1,42,156 metric tonnes (equivalent to more than 74.8 lakh 19 kg LPG cylinders) of commercial LPG have been sold since March 14. This includes more than 8,400 MT of auto LPG.
Meanwhile, enforcement actions continue across the country to curb hoarding and black marketing of LPG. More than 2,500 raids were conducted on Wednesday.
PSU oil marketing companies have strengthened surprise inspections and imposed penalties on 238 LPG distributorships and suspended 63 LPG distributorships till now.
Citizens are encouraged to use alternative fuels such as PNG and electric or induction cooktops. All citizens are urged to conserve energy in their daily use during the current situation.
The government has already implemented several rationalisation measures on both the supply and demand side, including enhancing refinery production, increasing the booking interval from 21 to 25 days in urban areas and up to 45 days in rural areas and prioritising sectors for supply.
Alternative fuels such as kerosene and coal have been made available to ease pressure on LPG demand.
The Ministry of Coal has directed Coal India and Singareni Collieries to supply additional coal to states for distribution to small and medium consumers.
- IANS
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