'Use cooking gas judiciously, there are concerns about supply'; no need to panic, says Centre

NEW DELHI: The central government said that the supply of cooking gas in India continues to be in a worrisome situation amid ongoing conflicts in the Middle East. It assured the public that there is no need to panic. Sujatha Sharma, Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, shared this information at a press conference. She advised people to use LPG judiciously and consider alternative options for cooking.

"At present, no gas agency is facing a shortage of stock. The supply of cylinders to domestic consumers is continuing as usual. There has been strong progress in cylinder bookings. Around 94% of bookings are now done online. The delivery authentication code system has reached 76%," Sujatha Sharma said.

The supply of commercial cylinders, which was temporarily stopped, has now been partially restored. Special orders have been issued for the supply of non-domestic LPG in states including Kerala. To prevent black marketing and hoarding, around 12,000 raids were conducted across the country. About 15,000 cylinders were seized. In Kerala alone, around 1,000 inspections were carried out.

The central government also said that it would be helpful if commercial users switched to PNG connections. To reduce LPG use in sectors like hotels, alternative fuels such as kerosene and coal have been allowed.