New Delhi, April 29 (IANS) More than 50.8 lakh domestic LPG cylinders and over 73,000 small 5 kg LPG cylinders were delivered on Tuesday as the supply of cooking gas remains normal in the country with no dry-outs reported at retail distributorships despite the supply chain disruption due to the Middle East conflict, the Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry said.
Online domestic LPG cylinder bookings have increased to 99 per cent while authentication code-based deliveries, on the registered mobile number of the consumer, have increased to around 94 per cent to prevent diversion at the distributor level, a ministry statement said.
Average auto LPG sales by public sector oil companies in April so far have touched 353 metric tonnes a day against the average of around 177 metric tonnes per day during January and February, reflecting an increase of around 100 per cent, it said.
Over 8,838 MT of commercial LPG (equivalent to more than 4.65 lakh 19-kg cylinders) was also sold on Tuesday. This takes the total sale of commercial LPG during April to 1,84,043 MT (equivalent to more than 96.86 lakh 19 kg LPG cylinders).
Retail prices for petrol and diesel remain unchanged, and adequate stocks of the two fuels are available at all petrol pumps in the country.
Meanwhile, enforcement actions continue across the country to curb hoarding and black marketing of LPG. More than 2200 raids were conducted across the country on Tuesday.
The public sector oil companies have strengthened and continued surprise inspections and imposed penalties on 325 LPG distributorships, while 72 LPG distributorships have been suspended so far.
Show cause notices were issued to 54 LPG distributors on Tuesday, and penalties were imposed on nine distributorships.
The supply of cooking gas continues to be normal with no dry-outs being reported at retail distributorships.
Over 42,950 PNG consumers have surrendered their LPG connections via MYPNGD.in website till Tuesday, which will help to ease some pressure on LPG demand.
The ministry further stated that it is taking steps to ensure the uninterrupted availability of petroleum products and LPG across the country, in the context of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
Citizens are advised to avoid panic purchase of petrol, diesel and LPG and to beware of rumours and rely on official sources for correct information. LPG consumers are requested to use digital booking platforms and avoid visiting distributors.
All refineries are operating at high capacity with adequate crude inventories, while sufficient stocks of petrol and diesel are being maintained. Local LPG production from refineries has been increased to support domestic consumption, the statement added.
–IANS
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