These days, amidst the ongoing tension in West Asia and concerns related to the Strait of Hormuz, a rumor is spreading rapidly across the country. Many people feel that soon there is going to be a huge shortage of petrol, diesel and LPG. Due to this fear, suddenly long queues of vehicles are being seen at petrol pumps in some states and people have started hoarding more fuel than required. But, if you are also going to be a part of this ‘panic buying’, then wait. The Petroleum Ministry of the Government of India has made it clear that there is no shortage of fuel in the country. Our refineries are working at full capacity and there are adequate reserves of crude oil.
The government took this big step
Amidst these concerns of war, false news of fuel shortage spread like wildfire. While clarifying the situation, Joint Secretary of Petroleum Ministry, Sujata Sharma has said that this is just a rumour. The truth is that petrol and diesel are available in sufficient quantity in the country. To save the general public from the brunt of inflation, the government has also reduced the excise duty on petrol and diesel by Rs 10 per litre. Apart from this, duty has been imposed on the export of diesel and Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) to maintain uninterrupted supply of fuel in the domestic market.
relief coming by sea
As far as LPG and Piped Natural Gas (PNG) are concerned, the situation there is completely under control. The international situation has definitely had a slight impact, but the supply chain is absolutely safe. In just two days, 1 crore 4 lakh LPG cylinders have been booked, out of which the delivery of 92 lakh has been successfully completed. More than 55 lakh cylinders are being delivered to homes every day.
Rajesh Sinha of Port Department has given another big news of relief. He told that two big ships are coming towards India from the Strait of Hormuz. One of these ships will reach Mumbai tomorrow and the other will reach Mangalore port on 1st April. These two ships are loaded with about 94 MT of LPG. Along with this, 80% gas supply to industries and 70-75% gas supply to fertilizer factories is being ensured. The PNG network is also being expanded rapidly, and 2.9 lakh new PNG connections have been given in the month of March alone.
No good for black marketers
Taking advantage of this rumour, some people are trying to make profits, against whom the government has started taking strict action. The availability of commercial LPG has been increased to 70 percent and 41 thousand tonnes of gas has been uplifted. Despite this, about 2,900 raids have been conducted across the country to stop hoarding, in which more than 1,000 gas cylinders have been seized. The supply of kerosene has also been increased.
The Central Government has instructed all the State Governments to keep a close watch on the availability of fuel, submit daily reports and stop the spread of rumours. As a common citizen, it is important to understand that the energy infrastructure of the country is strong. Therefore, do not pay any attention to rumors and buy fuel only as per your requirement.