Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: The Centre on Tuesday said that the energy crisis in India still remains a matter of concern amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. However, it assured consumers not to panic over LPG supplies.During an inter-ministerial briefing on recent developments, Sujata Sharma, joint secretary in the ministry of petroleum and natural gas, advised judicious consumption of LPG and also advised using alternate sources for cooking.“On the issue of LPG, I would like to reiterate that the situation still remains a matter of concern. However, no LPG distributor is facing a dry-out situation at present. In addition, LPG supplies and cylinder deliveries for all domestic consumers are continuing as usual. With regard to online booking, I would like to inform you that there has been significant improvement, and as of today, nearly 94% of cylinder bookings are being made online. There has also been improvement in the delivery authentication code system, which has now reached 76%. As far as commercial LPG supplies are concerned, these were initially completely halted but were later partially restored,” Sharma said.“Cylinders that were placed at the disposal of various state governments and Union Territories are also being distributed. Several governments, including those of Bihar, Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Manipur, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand, have already issued allocation orders for non-domestic LPG,” she added.“Petrol and diesel are available in sufficient quantity. Regarding natural gas, as I told you, the Government of India is making efforts, and it would be beneficial if all commercial LPG consumers shifted to PNG,” Sharma said.Sharma also warned against hoarding and black marketing, saying that adequate measures are in place to ensure smooth distribution across the country.“Regarding enforcement action, so far, about twelve thousand raids have been conducted in the last few days. About fifteen thousand cylinders have been seized… Yesterday in Delhi, about six hundred cylinders were seized. Similarly, in Uttar Pradesh, about four hundred and fifty inspections and raids have been conducted in the last few days. Ten people have also been arrested. In Jammu and Kashmir, five hundred and sixty-four raids have been conducted, FIRs have been filed, and arrests have also been made. In Kerala, about a thousand raids and inspections have been conducted, and domestic and commercial cylinders have been seized. In Madhya Pradesh, too, about twelve hundred raids have been conducted, and about eighteen hundred cylinders have been seized,” she said.“Apart from this, the inspection teams of our oil marketing companies have also been activated, and surprise inspections have been conducted at about two and a half thousand retail outlets and LPG distributorships,” she added.State governments are undertaking enforcement measures to prevent hoarding and black marketing of petrol, diesel and LPG. Raids are being carried out in several states to check hoarding and black marketing of LPG cylinders.Alternate fuels such as kerosene and coal have been activated for certain sectors, including hospitality and restaurants, to ease pressure on LPG supplies.The shortage of LPG has emerged amid global energy supply disruptions triggered by the ongoing conflict in West Asia.
