New Delhi, Apr 29: The centre on Wednesday ruled out any shortage of petrol, diesel and domestic LPG across the country even as it announced a series of demand management measures, including increased booking intervals for cylinders and a nationwide crackdown on hoarding, in the wake of the West Asian crisis.
Asserting that there is “no need for panic purchase”, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas as per Kashmir Convener said adequate stocks are available at all retail outlets and LPG distributorships, with no dry-out reported anywhere.
The Ministry said over 50.8 lakh LPG cylinders were delivered on April 28 alone. However, to rein in surging demand, the booking interval for domestic cylinders has been increased — from 21 to 25 days in urban areas and up to 45 days in rural areas.
Commercial LPG allocation has been restored to about 70 per cent of pre-crisis levels, with priority to hospitals, educational institutions, pharma and agriculture sectors. The daily supply of 5 kg FT L cylinders for migrant labourers has been doubled compared to the March 2-3 baseline, officials said.
Online LPG bookings have surged to 98 per cent of industry-wide transactions, while Delivery Authentication Code (DAC)-based deliveries — aimed at preventing diversion — now account for over 94 per cent of supplies.
Despite crude prices spiking due to the geopolitical situation, the government has reduced excise duty on petrol and diesel by ₹10 per litre to protect consumers, officials said. Retail prices at PSU pumps remain unchanged, and “there is no price increase at any retail outlet”.
To choke off exports and boost domestic availability, the Centre has hiked the export levy on diesel to ₹55.50 per litre and on ATF to ₹42 per litre.
The government has launched a nationwide crackdown on hoarding and black marketing of LPG. In the last 24 hours alone, over 2,200 raids were conducted across the country, the Ministry said.
PSU oil marketing companies have suspended 72 LPG distributorships so far and imposed penalties on 325. On Monday, show cause notices were issued to 54 distributors and penalties imposed on nine.
All States and Union Territories have set up control rooms and district monitoring committees, with the Centre holding multiple review meetings to coordinate enforcement.
To reduce dependency on LPG, the government is aggressively pushing PNG connections. About 5.69 lakh new PNG connections have been gasified since March, and over 42,950 PNG consumers have surrendered their LPG connections via the ‘MYPNGD.in’ portal.
States have been offered an additional 10 per cent commercial LPG allocation if they facilitate long-term transition from LPG to PNG. Twenty-two States and UTs have already opted in.
Meanwhile, the government appealed to citizens to avoid panic buying and rely only on official sources.
“LPG consumers are requested to use digital booking platforms and avoid visiting distributors. Citizens are encouraged to use alternate fuels such as PNG and electric or induction cooktops, and make necessary efforts to conserve energy,” the advisory said.
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