New Delhi, March 21 (IANS). The government on Saturday said the allocation of commercial LPG for states and union territories has now been increased to 50 percent. An additional 20 per cent allocation has now been added to the 20 per cent already given and 10 per cent given based on the reforms related to PNG expansion.
According to the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, this additional 20 percent LPG will be given on priority basis to those areas where it is needed more. These include restaurants, dhabas, hotels, industrial canteens, food processing and dairy units, government subsidized canteens, community kitchens and 5 kg cylinders for migrant labourers.
The ministry said that 20 states and union territories have issued orders for distribution of non-domestic LPG as per the guidelines of the central government. In the remaining states, public sector oil companies are providing commercial LPG cylinders. About 13,479 metric tonnes of LPG cylinders have been supplied in the last one week.
Educational institutions and hospitals have been given priority and about 50 percent of the total commercial LPG is being supplied to these areas.
Meanwhile, the government on Saturday said that continuous raids are being conducted across the country to stop hoarding and black marketing of LPG. More than 3,500 raids have been conducted so far in several states including Uttar Pradesh, Telangana and Maharashtra and about 1,400 cylinders have been seized.
Officials of oil companies have also conducted surprise checks on more than 2,000 petrol pumps and LPG agencies, so that the supply remains smooth and there is no disturbance of any kind.
The government said that despite the war-like situation, domestic LPG and PNG are being given the highest priority, and hospitals and educational institutions have also been given priority.
To balance the demand for LPG, the government has taken several steps, such as increasing refinery production, increasing the cylinder booking interval from 21 days to 25 days in urban areas and to 45 days in rural areas.
Apart from this, alternative fuels like kerosene and coal are also being made available. States have been given an additional 48,000 kiloliters of kerosene and have been asked to decide the places for its distribution.
The Coal Ministry has also directed Coal India and Singareni Collieries to provide more coal to the states so that the needs of small and medium consumers can be met.
The government also said that due to the current global situation, LPG supply remains a matter of concern, but domestic production has been increased and panic booking has reduced. Now most of the deliveries are happening through Delivery Authentication Code (DAC).
According to oil companies, there is no shortage of fuel at any retail outlet and adequate stock of petrol and diesel is available. The government has appealed to people not to make panic purchases and not pay attention to rumours.
The government has said that all necessary steps are being taken to ensure availability of LPG in the country. People have been appealed to book digitally, avoid visiting agencies and use home delivery.
–IANS
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