Amid continued uncertainty over LPG supplies in India due to tensions in West Asia, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday criticized the central government, alleging that it was planning to increase fuel prices and was “selling the country”.
Speaking to reporters, he compared the current prices with the LPG prices during the tenure of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and reminded that at one time the price of a gas cylinder was around Rs 400, which has now increased to around Rs 1100. He expressed fear of further price rise.
Mamata Banerjee said “They (central government) are going to increase the prices. They have sold the country… I remember Manmohan Singh’s government when the price of petrol was Rs 400, now it has increased to Rs 1100,” Mamata Banerjee said.
The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas on Friday said panic booking of LPG cylinders has dropped significantly, with only 55 lakh bookings recorded on Thursday.
The Government today held an inter-ministerial level briefing on the current situation related to the availability of essential commodities, especially fuel and gas, amid the ongoing geopolitical tensions.
Speaking at an inter-ministerial briefing today, Sujata Sharma, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, highlighting the improvement in the LPG crisis, said, “There is no panic booking now. Only 55 lakh LPG bookings were recorded yesterday.”
Reassuring consumers, Sharma also said that there is no shortage of supply across the country. “Adequate stock is available, no outlet is out of stock,” he said.
However, he acknowledged that concerns still remained. “The LPG issue is still a matter of concern,” he said.
Highlighting the change in consumer behaviour, Sharma said that many users are switching to piped gas. “75 lakh LPG customers have shifted to PNG (piped gas),” he said. Giving information about the steps taken by the authorities, Sharma said that the monitoring mechanism has been strengthened across the country. “32 states and union territories have set up control rooms and district monitoring committees,” he said.
He also pointed to stricter enforcement actions to prevent irregularities. He said, “4500 raids were conducted across the country yesterday, including 1100 raids in Uttar Pradesh.” He further said, “1800 surprise inspections were conducted by OMCs.”
Appealing to the public, Sharma urged consumers to follow proper delivery channels. “There is an appeal to follow the door delivery system of LPG cylinders,” he said.
Talking about oil prices, Sharma said, “The prices of premium grade petrol have been increased. This is decided by the oil marketing companies.” He added, “There has been no increase in the normal prices of petrol and diesel.” Meanwhile, the prices of industrial diesel have also increased by 25 per cent, from Rs 87.67 per liter to Rs 109.59 per litre.
Rajesh Kumar Sinha, Special Secretary, Shipping Ministry, also pointed out the logistics relief measures taken to support the supplies. “New Mangalore Port has notified relief in ground and reefer charges for crude oil and LPG from March 14 to 31,” he said.
