The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has taken a major decision on Saturday. Now the houses which have Piped Natural Gas (PNG) connection will not be able to keep the domestic LPG cylinder, nor will they be able to get new connections nor will they be able to get it refilled.
The Ministry has amended the supply order. It clearly states that people with PNG connections will have to immediately surrender their domestic LPG connections. Government oil companies will not give new LPG connections to such people nor will they refill the cylinders.
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Why was this decision taken?
India is the second largest LPG (cooking gas) user in the world. About 90% of the LPG requirement here comes from imports. There is a war going on in the Middle East right now. America and Israel attacked Iran, due to which the Strait of Hormuz (an important sea route) was closed. Due to this, the supply of LPG from the Middle East has almost stopped.
India is expected to get only 2.7 lakh tonnes of LPG in the week starting March 9, the lowest since April 2023. Due to this there is shortage of cooking gas in homes. At many places people are waiting in long queues for cylinders.
What is the government doing?
Oil Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said in Parliament that the government is ordering more LPG from America, Norway, Canada, Algeria and Russia. There is also talk of safe arrival of ships from Iran.
Domestic production in the refinery has been increased. Now LPG production has increased by 25-28%. Domestic LPG is being given priority.
On March 7, the price of LPG was increased after almost a year. The price of 14.2 kg cylinder in Delhi has increased from Rs 853 to Rs 913, which is an increase of 7%. This is an attempt to control the demand.
Government appealed
The government says that domestic consumers will not be allowed to face any shortage. In areas where PNG is available, people are being appealed to switch to PNG so that the pressure on the LPG cylinder is reduced.
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This decision has come at a time when homes and restaurants are facing problems due to shortage of LPG in the country. The aim of the government is that subsidized LPG should reach only the needy and should not be used unnecessarily.
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