Monitor LPG supply, black marketing: Centre

The Centre on Wednesday advised all the states and Union territories to monitor LPG supplies daily, take strict action against the violators, quell rumour mongering and maintain law and order in the wake of public apprehensions about restricted supply of LPG cylinders in the domestic market due to the widening crisis in West Asia, officials said.

At a meeting chaired by Home Secretary Govind Mohan on Wednesday, it was conveyed that an LPG control order dated March 8 directed the refineries and petrochemical complexes to maximise LPG production and prioritise domestic supply for household consumers, they said.

At the meeting attended by the secretaries in the ministries of petroleum and natural gas, information and broadcasting, and consumer affairs, along with chief secretaries and DGPs of states and UTs, it was conveyed that restrictions have been imposed on the distribution of LPG cylinders to commercial establishments, including hotels and restaurants, but "not to hospitals or educational institutions".

The home secretary advised the chief secretaries and DGPs to keep an eye on LPG supply in their respective jurisdictions daily and prevent any hoarding or black marketing of cylinders, the officials said.

The states and UTs were also advised to ensure protection of the LPG supply chain by ramping up security arrangements, they said.

They were also told to take strict action against the violators, and maintain law and order on the ground, besides undertaking sufficient awareness drives – both directly and through the oil marketing companies – to quell fears of LPG shortage and counter rumour mongering. The Centre is taking active measures to ensure adequate availability of LPG for households, the meeting was told.

The states and UTs have also been advised to closely monitor social media and take prompt action to remove fake news and check the spread of false narratives by circulating old or unrelated material.

The Ministry of Home Affairs has set up a 24x7 control room with nodal officers from the information and broadcasting, and petroleum and natural gas ministries. The control room will enable fact-checking and the issuance of immediate clarifications to states and UTs on any matter on the current situation.

India consumes about 31.3 million tonnes of LPG annually. As much as 87 per cent of this is in the domestic sector, i.e., household kitchens, and the rest in commercial establishments such as hotels and restaurants.

Of this total requirement, 62 per cent is met through imports.  The US-Israel attacks on Iran and Tehran's retaliation have shut the Strait of Hormuz, a key sea route through which India gets 85-90 per cent of its LPG imports from West Asian nations, including Saudi Arabia and Qatar.