India has adequate supplies of crude oil and LPG, and there is no shortage of fuel anywhere in the country despite tensions in West Asia, the government said on Monday.
At an inter-ministerial briefing, Sujata Sharma, joint secretary (marketing and oil refinery) in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, said crude oil availability remains comfortable and refinery operations are running normally.
“All refineries are operating at the highest capacity. Petrol pumps are functioning normally and no fuel dry-out has been reported anywhere,” she said.
She also noted that the supply of piped natural gas (PNG) for households and compressed natural gas (CNG) used in transport remains at 100 percent.
Consumers who have both PNG and LPG connections have been requested to voluntarily surrender their LPG connection to improve distribution efficiency.
Gas distribution companies have introduced incentives to encourage households and businesses to shift to PNG connections.
The measures are aimed at increasing PNG adoption and easing pressure on LPG distribution.
The government has intensified inspections to prevent hoarding and black marketing of LPG cylinders. Officials from public sector oil marketing companies conducted surprise inspections at more than 1,100 LPG distributorships and retail outlets on Sunday.
Rajesh Kumar Sinha, special secretary in the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, said an LPG carrier from the Persian Gulf has already crossed the Strait of Hormuz and is expected to reach India shortly.
The vessel, Shivalik LPG carrier, departed from the Gulf and is expected to arrive later in the day, with port authorities making arrangements for priority berthing to ensure quick unloading.
Sinha added that all Indian seafarers in the Persian Gulf region remain safe and there have been no reported incidents in the past 24 hours.
According to official data, 22 Indian-flagged vessels with 611 Indian seafarers are currently operating west of the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf.
Another Indian-flagged vessel, Jag Laadki, carrying around 81,000 tonnes of Murban crude oil from the UAE, is safely heading towards India and is expected to reach Mundra port on Tuesday.
The Ministry of External Affairs said several Indian nationals have moved to neighbouring countries from Iran amid the conflict.
More than 550 Indians have crossed into Armenia, while about 90 have entered Azerbaijan with assistance from the Indian embassy in Tehran.
Among those evacuated to Armenia were 284 people who had travelled to Iran on pilgrimage.
Officials said some of the Indians have already returned to India, while others are expected to return in the coming days. The Indian embassy in Tehran continues to operate and has relocated students from other parts of Iran to safer cities.
