NEW DELHI: While the war-like situation in the Middle East has posed several challenges to different countries, the central government today assured that there is no crisis regarding petroleum products in India. The Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas today reiterated that, as far as crude oil and refineries are concerned, the country has a sufficient supply of crude, and the domestic refineries are operating at full capacity.
During the press conference, Sujata Sharma, Joint Secretary (Marketing & Oil Refinery), stated that the country produces sufficient petrol and diesel domestically to meet domestic requirements; consequently, we have no need for imports.
Regarding the LPG supply, the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas clarified that it remains a matter of concern in light of the prevailing geopolitical situation; however, no stockouts have been reported thus far. The officials confirmed that there have been no instances of stockouts at retail outlets, as there remains ample petrol and diesel available.
However, Sujata Sharma, Joint Secretary (Marketing & Oil Refinery), while addressing the media, warned that instances of panic booking remain excessively high. She highlighted that approximately 7.5 to 7.6 million bookings have now risen to nearly 8.8 million.
The Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas also addressed the queries surrounding natural gas supply and availability. The officials recommended that wherever commercial consumers are facing difficulties or disruptions in their LPG supply, they should be transitioned to PNG connections.
In furtherance of this objective, GAIL (Gas Authority of India Limited) held a meeting with various CGD operators and advised them to expedite the provision of PNG connections to all eligible commercial consumers wherever feasible.
Agencies