New Delhi, March 14 (IANS). The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas said on Saturday that petrol and diesel are available in sufficient quantity at petrol pumps across the country. The Ministry has appealed to the people not to panic and try to hoard fuel and not to store petrol or diesel in loose or unsafe containers, as this can pose a major safety risk.
The ministry said in a post on social media platform X that there is adequate fuel stock at all petrol pumps in the country and there is no shortage anywhere.
“Petrol and diesel are available in adequate quantities at retail outlets across the country. Consumers are advised not to carry or store fuel in loose or unsuitable containers, as this may pose a serious safety risk,” the ministry said.
According to the ministry, petrol was seen being filled in loose containers at a petrol pump in Tamil Nadu, which is unsafe and inappropriate.
After this incident, the concerned petrol pump has been suspended and appropriate action has been taken against it.
Also, officials have instructed all petrol pumps and dealers to strictly follow safety rules during fuel distribution.
The ministry has warned that strict action will be taken against those who violate safety rules.
Earlier, the government had appealed to the people to avoid panic buying of petrol, diesel and LPG, and had said that there is sufficient stock of these fuels in the country.
According to oil marketing companies, there has been no incident of fuel shortage anywhere in the country’s approximately 1 lakh retail outlets and the supply is continuing normally.
A senior official said that India’s refining capacity is currently around 258 million metric tonnes per annum (MMTPA), making India the fourth largest refining hub in the world.
Apart from this, the government issued the Natural Gas Control Order under the Essential Commodities Act on March 9, in which instructions have been given to ensure 100 percent supply of PNG and CNG and no reduction of any kind.
“There is no need to panic. Industrial and commercial consumers are currently being managed at around 80 per cent supply level,” the official said.
–IANS
DBP