Government of India appeals to consumers: Do not book cylinders in panic, two Indian tankers are bringing 92 thousand tons of LPG.

New Delhi. Despite repeated appeals, amid the continuously increasing booking of LPG cylinders, the Indian government on Saturday once again appealed to the consumers not to book in panic and said that there is no shortage of LPG in the country and the supply of LPG will further improve with the departure of two Indian LPG tankers stranded in the Strait of Hormuz for the country in the morning with about 93 thousand tonnes of gas.

Apart from this, supply of LPG gas cylinders has also been started to commercial consumers in 29 states and union territories. Besides, they are also being advised to adopt piped natural gas connections available in their areas. To stop black marketing and hoarding of LPG, raids are being conducted continuously and 20 FIRs have been registered across the country and many people have been detained.

LPG production in the country has increased from 28 to 31 percent. It has also been said that there is sufficient stock of fertilizers in the country for the Kharif 2026 season and there is no need to panic about it at all. The process of returning home of Indians stranded in West Asia is continuing and so far one lakh 72 thousand Indian citizens have returned home through various flights. There are still 22 Indian flagged ships in the Gulf area and all the Indian sailors on board are safe. Of these, 253 sailors have been successfully brought home.

Sujata Sharma, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, told in a regular briefing here with officials of various ministries that there is adequate supply of crude oil in the country and there is no shortage of petrol and diesel anywhere. He said that LPG supply is still a matter of concern due to the West Asia crisis but till now there has been no report of shortage or shortage of LPG from anywhere. Expressing concern over the continuously increasing panic booking of gas cylinders, he said that it is still very high.

He said, “The number which we told you yesterday about 75 or 76 lakh bookings has reached 88 lakh. There is an appeal to the countrymen to avoid panic booking. Book as much as possible as and when required.” He appealed to the people to book the cylinders only through online mode and not to go directly to the distributors. Ms Sharma said that supply of commercial cylinders has started in 29 states and union territories. This work is being done through state governments.

He said that continuous raids are being conducted to stop hoarding and black marketing. He said that raids and surprise checks have been conducted at more than a thousand places across the country. FIRs have been registered in about 20 cases and several people have been detained and the process of prosecution has been initiated against 19 people. Joint Secretary said that it is the government’s effort that domestic consumers should not face any kind of problem.

He said that apart from this, permission has also been given to use alternative fuel for one month. Rajesh Kumar Sinha, Special Secretary in the Shipping Ministry, said all Indian seafarers in the Gulf region are safe and there has been no unwanted information related to them in the last 24 hours. He said that out of the 24 Indian flagged ships sailing west of Hormul Strait, two Shivalik and Nanda Devi are carrying about 92700 tonnes of LPG and are likely to reach Bundra and Kandla ports on March 16 and 17.

He said that out of the 22 ships currently there, six are carrying LPG, one is carrying LAG, four are carrying crude oil, one is carrying chemical products, three are containerships and three are in dry dock. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that since the beginning of this conflict, apart from calling for reducing tensions and resolving all issues through dialogue, India has also consistently emphasized that one of its key priorities is to ensure unhindered movement of goods and energy.

He said, “We have also called for refraining from targeting civilian infrastructure in the region, particularly energy infrastructure. We believe that these priorities are also shared by a large part of the global community, as the impact of this conflict is being felt across the world.”

He said around 1,72,000 passengers have so far returned to India from the region and air connectivity is gradually improving with the addition of more flights to various airports in India. He said flights were being operated from Oman, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Qatar. For Indians present in Bahrain, Kuwait and Iraq – from where direct flights are not operating – we are providing them assistance in arranging visa extension and transit visas to visit India via Saudi Arabia.