If after seeing the news of huge tension going on in West Asia, you also ran towards the gas agency with the fear that there is going to be a shortage of fuel in the country, then there is a very relieving news for you. The Central Government has made it clear that there is no shortage of petrol, diesel or LPG in India and the supply in the country is completely stable. After this assurance from the government, a huge decline has been recorded in panic booking across the country.
There is a break on panic booking
According to the government update, daily booking of LPG has come down from 88.8 lakh to 77 lakh (Saturday’s figures). This huge decline clearly shows that the fear of shortage in the mind of the common man is now going away. Along with this, a positive change has happened that the graph of online gas booking has increased from 84 percent to 87 percent. In fact, oil companies had run a special campaign appealing to people to use digital means instead of standing in long queues outside gas agencies, the effect of which is now clearly visible.
What is the truth about the shortage of petrol and diesel?
The question in the minds of many people was whether petrol and diesel would be available in sufficient quantity for their vehicles? On this, the government has assured that all the refineries of the country are working at their high capacity and we have adequate reserves of crude oil. The situation is completely under control. At present, the country remains self-sufficient in the production of petrol and diesel and there is no need to import fuel from outside to meet the domestic demand. Oil companies have also confirmed that no incident of fuel dry-out has been reported at any petrol pump or LPG distributor across the country.
Government’s ‘action plan’ on black marketing
At the mere sound of the crisis, the administration has started cracking down on those profiteering. In many states including Andhra Pradesh and Bihar, intensive raids are being conducted to stop black marketing and hoarding of LPG cylinders. Officials of government oil companies are suddenly inspecting the gas agencies so that no irregularities occur in the supply chain. Apart from this, commercial LPG cylinders have been handed over to the governments of 30 states and union territories so that they can be distributed on priority basis if needed. Bihar, Delhi, Haryana and Rajasthan have also issued strict orders for allocation of non-domestic LPG as per government guidelines.
Arrangements are complete for essential services
The first priority of the government is domestic consumers and essential sectors like hospitals or educational institutions. 100 percent supply of PNG (piped natural gas) and CNG has been secured, while industrial and commercial use has been controlled to about 80 percent. The government has also amended the LPG Control Order, under which it has been made mandatory for consumers who have PNG connections to surrender their LPG connections. This will allow the distribution system to work more evenly.