Petroleum Ministry assures no fuel shortage, urges bulk users to shift back to consumer pumps
New Delhi, June 15
The Petroleum Ministry has assured there is sufficient supply of petrol, diesel, LPG and natural gas in the country and urged citizens and industry to use energy responsibly.
Joint Secretary Sujata Sharma, speaking at an Inter-Ministerial press briefing, appealed for energy conservation and asked bulk industrial and commercial consumers to purchase diesel from their consumer pumps to reduce pressure on retail outlets.
The appeal comes as the government put a temporary order in place to ease congestion at retail pumps. Sharma explained that the supply of petrol, diesel and LPG remains stable and refineries are operating at optimum capacity, with crude inventories maintained. The strain stems from a shift in offtake: about 42 crore litres of diesel that earlier moved through bulk or consumer pumps shifted to retail outlets in May, creating supply issues at some locations.
To protect common consumers, the government issued a budget notification on June 11, capping retail diesel sales at 200 litres per person per day. Industrial and commercial users have been directed to source from their own consumer pumps. Sharma clarified this is a temporary order for about 90 days and has been brought in to save the common consumer from inconvenience, stressing there is no shortage of petrol and diesel.
LPG supply is also back in balance. In the last four days, 1.66 crore bookings were received and 1.84 crores delivered, bringing the backlog down to 3.3 days. Commercial LPG sales stood at 24,184 tons in the period, while 2.18 lakh 5 kg cylinders were sold, including 14,500 through camps. On PNG, 9.76 lakh connections have been gasified since March, and infrastructure has been created for 3.19 lakh more, with 9.72 lakh new customers registered.
Enforcement has been ramped up, too. Since March, 1,330 FIRs have been registered in LPG cases with 311 arrests and 75,960 cylinders seized. For petrol and diesel, 12,303 litres of petrol and 91,263 litres of diesel were seized since May 27, with 50 FIRs and 49 arrests. Refineries sold 5,860 tons of C3-C4 molecules and 5,050 tons of butyl acrylate to chemical, pharma and paint industries.
Sharma stressed the measure is short-term and aimed at ensuring retail pumps remain accessible for two-wheelers, cars and farmers while bulk users revert to direct supply.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Interesting to see bulk users being asked to revert to consumer pumps. But shouldn't the government have ensured adequate supply infrastructure before making such announcements? Industries can't just switch overnight. My company got notice but no clear guidelines on how to manage this transition. Hope they provide SOPs soon.
LPG delivery improvements are commendable - 1.84 crore deliveries in 4 days is impressive! But why did we have a backlog in first place? These temporary measures shouldn't become permanent. Also, those FIRs and seizures show black marketing still exists. Need better monitoring at state level.
Appreciate the transparency - 42 crore litre shift explains the strain well. But as a farmer in Punjab, I'm worried about diesel availability during harvest season. They say farmers get priority, but our local dealer already reduced supply. Need district-level monitoring teams to ensure smooth distribution.
Good to hear crude inventories are maintained. But why create panic by capping sales first and then explaining later? Should have done this briefing BEFORE the order. Still, kudos for sharing data on refineries and LPG deliveries - shows they're tracking the situation. Hope the 90-day timeline is realistic.
The chemical industry numbers are interesting - 5,860 tons of C3-C4 molecules to pharma sector. Shows how interconnected our energy system is. But the real test will be in next 2 weeks when monsoon hits. Hope there's enough supply for both agriculture and industry without disruptions.
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