In an effort to ensure adequate availability of cooking gas for households, India’s oil refineries have increased liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) production by about 10 per cent after directions issued by the Centre, government sources said on Tuesday.
The move has helped ease concerns raised by some groups about a possible supply disruption.
Sources said the government has also increased the waiting period for new LPG cylinder bookings from 21 days to 25 days in order to curb malpractices and prevent misuse of domestic LPG supplies.
“The government has invoked the Essential Commodities Act to monitor the situation and ensure proper distribution of LPG,” a government source said.
However, they emphasised that the Essential Services Maintenance Act has not been invoked.
“India is currently in a much better position compared to several other countries when it comes to energy availability,” a government official said.
The officials added that the government is in constant touch with multiple countries to ensure that India’s energy requirements are met without disruption.
While acknowledging that there were concerns earlier, sources said the situation has now been resolved, and supply chains are functioning normally.
All refineries across the country are operating at full capacity to maintain steady production, they added.
Sources also said that the government is closely monitoring the situation and is fully prepared to deal with any challenges if they arise.
“Household consumption remains the top priority,” a source said.
The government also urged people not to believe unverified information circulating on social media regarding a possible LPG shortage.
Sources said that while some associations had written letters highlighting concerns about LPG availability, the government has still taken note of the issues raised and acted promptly to address them.
“The government feels that the letters written by a few associations highlighting the LPG crisis are by so-called associations, but still the government is acting on the concerns expressed by them,” a source said.
“There is no crisis at all. We have enough energy sources available,” the source noted.
