The government on Tuesday assured that petrol and diesel supplies remain adequate across the country, urged citizens to stay calm to calm amid concerns triggered by rumours of shortages amid recent developments in West Asia. 

Speaking at an inter-ministerial briefing, Sujata Sharma, Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, said all refineries are operating at elevated capacity with sufficient crude inventories to meet demand. 

“All the refineries are operating at high capacity with adequate crude inventories. We have sufficient stock of petrol and diesel. The domestic production of LPG has been stepped up in the refineries,” she said. 

Panic buying triggered by rumours 

The clarification comes after instances of panic buying were reported in some regions, driven largely by misinformation. Sharma noted that oil marketing companies and state authorities have already issued advisories to counter such rumours. 

“In this regard, I request the citizens to not trust rumours and avoid panic buying. We have more than 1 lakh retail outlets and there is normal operation on all the retail outlets,” she added. 

On the cooking gas front, the government acknowledged some impact from geopolitical factors but maintained that supplies remain stable. “No dry out has been reported at the LPG distributorships also. Although yesterday we also observed some panic booking, but the deliveries were normal,” Sharma said, adding that multiple LPG cargoes are already in the pipeline. 

To ensure availability for essential services, the Centre has increased commercial LPG allocation to around 50% of requirements, covering sectors such as hospitality, food processing, and community kitchens. 

PNG push and enforcement steps 

The government is also accelerating the rollout of Piped Natural Gas (PNG) connections. The Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board has directed city gas distribution entities to provide connections within five days to institutions such as schools, hostels and community kitchens where pipeline infrastructure exists nearby.

Around 7,500 new connections were released in a single day across 110 areas, with a potential base of nearly 60 lakh households. 

Enforcement actions have been intensified to curb hoarding and illegal activities. Authorities conducted about 3,400 raids, leading to the seizure of around 1,000 cylinders. “Till yesterday, about 642 FIRs have been filed and 155 people have been arrested. OMCs have also issued a show-cause notice to about 250 distributors and some have been suspended,” Sharma said. 

Reiterating the government’s stance, she said, “There are sufficient stocks available. There is sufficient supply of petrol and diesel.”