West Asia Crisis: Steps taken to ensure uninterrupted supply, says govt, urges people to avoid panic purchase of fuel

In light of the ongoing crisis in West Asia, the Union Government has urged the public not to pay heed to rumours about petroleum and gas shortages. The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has reiterated that necessary measures are being taken to ensure the uninterrupted availability of petroleum products and LPG across the country.

Avoid panic buying

According to the government, citizens should avoid panic purchases of fuel and avoid unnecessary bookings of LPG cylinders. For booking of LPG cylinders, the ministry urged the public to use digital modes and avoid visiting distributors, unless necessary.

Use alternative fuels

Further, the ministry said people should use alternate fuels such as PNG, induction and electric cooktops wherever feasible and make necessary efforts to conserve energy in their daily usage.

Alternate fuel options like Kerosene and coal have been offered to ease pressure on LPG demand, the ministry said.

The government also said that states have been advised to facilitate the new PNG connections for both domestic and commercial consumers.

Crackdown on hoarding of LPG

Under the Essential Commodities Act, 1955 and the LPG Control Order, 2000, State Governments are empowered to act against any hoarding and black marketing.

The Centre has directed states and Union Territories to take strict action against hoarding and black marketing of petroleum products and LPG.

All states and UTs to intensify enforcement, conduct daily raids and inspections in coordination with oil marketing companies, and maintain strict vigilance against diversion and misinformation.

States have also been instructed to institutionalize daily press briefings, set up control rooms and helplines, and actively counter fake news to reassure the public about fuel availability.

According to the ministry, priority has been given to domestic LPG and PNG, along with hospitals and educational institutions.

Domestic LPG production

On the domestic production front, the government said all refineries are operating at high capacity, with adequate crude inventories in place. The country is also maintaining sufficient stocks of petrol and diesel.

“Domestic LPG production from refineries has been increased to support domestic consumption,” the government said.

Safety of Indian seafarers

According to the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, it is closely monitoring shipping movements, port operations and the safety of Indian seafarers, while ensuring continuity of maritime trade.

“All Indian seafarers in the region are safe, and no incident involving Indian-flagged vessels has been reported in the past 24 hours,” the ministry said.

It also stated that at present, a total of 18 Indian-flagged vessels with 485 Indian seafarers remain in the western Persian Gulf region.

DG Shipping has facilitated the safe repatriation of over 1130 Indian seafarers so far, including 155 in the last 24 hours, the ministry said.