New Delhi, May 6 (IANS). The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas said in an official statement on Wednesday that more than 87.28 lakh domestic LPG cylinders have been delivered across the country in the last two days, while about 88.82 lakh cylinders were booked during this period. About 95 percent of these deliveries were made on the basis of authentication codes sent to the registered mobile numbers of consumers, to prevent irregularities at the delivery level.
The ministry said in the statement that despite the Middle East crisis, the supply of LPG in the country remains completely normal. Online booking of cooking gas has reached 99 per cent, and there has been no report of gas shortage at any distributor.
Around 1.2 lakh small 5 kg LPG cylinders have also been sold in the last two days. Since April 3, public sector oil companies have organized more than 10,400 awareness camps to promote the use of small cylinders for migrant laborers in urban areas.
Apart from this, more than 15,900 metric tonnes (equivalent to approximately 8.37 lakh 19 kg cylinders) of commercial LPG has been sold in the last two days.
A three-member committee of executive directors of Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL), Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL), in collaboration with state governments and industry organizations, decides the scheme for commercial LPG sales in various states and union territories.
The statement further said that piped natural gas (PNG) connections are also increasing rapidly in the country. So far, around 6.31 lakh connections have been activated and infrastructure has been created for 2.67 lakh new connections, taking the total number to 8.98 lakh. Apart from this, about 6.93 lakh new customers have registered for connection.
Action is underway across the country to stop hoarding and black marketing of LPG. More than 2,100 raids were conducted on Tuesday.
The ministry said that state-owned oil companies have fined 366 LPG distributors and 75 distributors have been suspended.
Despite the increase in oil prices in the global market, there has been no change in the retail prices of petrol and diesel in the country. The ministry said that adequate stock of these fuels is available at all petrol pumps across the country.
The ministry further said that despite the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, necessary steps are being taken to maintain the continuous supply of petroleum products and LPG in the country.
The government has appealed to citizens not to panic buy petrol, diesel and LPG, avoid rumors and rely only on official information. LPG consumers have been advised to book through digital platforms and avoid visiting the distributor.
All the refineries of the country are working at full capacity and there is sufficient stock of crude oil. Also, LPG production in refineries has also been increased to meet domestic consumption.
–IANS
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