New Delhi, 09 April (H.S.):

The Central government assured on Thursday that liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) distribution across India remains steady despite escalating West Asia crisis, with over 51 lakh cylinders supplied on Wednesday alone.

Commercial LPG deliveries have been restored to approximately 70%, prioritizing household consumers to guarantee 100% availability at distributor levels.

Joint Secretary (Marketing & Oil Refineries) at the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Sujata Sharma, stated during an inter-ministerial press briefing that LPG needs—about 60% import-reliant—faced disruptions from global geopolitical strains.

Domestic households received precedence, pushing online bookings to 98% capacity and OTP-based deliveries to 92%. Sharma noted commercial wholesale to critical sectors is nearly normalized, with 6,700 tonnes supplied Wednesday—equivalent to roughly 3.5 lakh 19-kg cylinders—amid nearly one lakh tonnes cumulatively since March 14.

She highlighted boosted stocks of 5-kg cylinders, with over 10 lakh sold since March 23 and 1.06 lakh yesterday. More than 2,000 awareness camps distributed 20,000 units. Fertilizer plants now secure 95% natural gas allocation, while City Gas Distribution (CGD) firms ensure full supply to priority zones. Key metrics include 3.97 lakh PNG connections activated, 4.3 lakh consumer registrations, and over 18,000 LPG connections surrendered.

Additional Secretary (Ports, Shipping & Waterways) Mukesh Mangal reported vigilant maritime oversight in coordination with the Foreign Ministry and Indian missions. No incidents involving Indian-flagged vessels or seafarers in the past 24 hours; the Indian LPG tanker Green Aasha safely reached Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority after transiting the Strait of Hormuz. DG Shipping's control room has fielded ~5,600 calls and 12,000 emails to date (166 calls, 317 emails yesterday), repatriating over 1,800 Indian seafarers—including 49 in the last day.

Nationwide port operations proceed congestion-free, with sustained focus on seafarer welfare and seamless maritime continuity.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar