India urges LPG consumers to switch to piped Gas wherever possible

Sujata sharma, an official in the oil ministry, said that India had asked consumers of liquefied petrol gas to avoid buying LPG cylinders out of panic and instead switch to natural gas piped into homes whenever possible.

The U.S. and Israel war against Iran has caused global shipping restrictions, which have disrupted India's crude, LPG and liquefied gas supplies.

Sharma, joint secretary at the federal oil minister, said that "LPG is a matter of concern." He added that the government was 'fighting against black marketing and hoarding LPG cylinders, in coordination with the states.

Around 333 millions households use LPG cylinders and over 150 million receive gas through pipelines. Sharma said that about six million LPG consumers could easily switch to piped gas.

She said, "We ask them to provide piped gas connections to?ease the pressure on LPG."

She also said that industrial and commercial consumers in large urban cities experiencing LPG shortages, should contact their city gas distribution company for a piped-gas connection.

PANIC BUYING

India imported about 60% of the cooking gas it consumed last year. Around 90% of these imports were from the Middle East.

Sharma stated that panic buying has pushed the daily LPG booking request to 7.6 million by Thursday, up from 5.5 million in March?1. Most bookings are made online.

India has asked refiners for a boost in?LPG production. She said that domestic LPG production has increased by 30% since the 5th of March.

The government prioritized LPG for household use, then hospitals and educational institutions. Commercial users can still use other fuels, such as biomass, coal, or fuel oil.

Sharma stated that India had asked Coal India to provide coal to small and medium businesses, as well as the hospitality sector including hotels and restaurants.

Rajesh Kumar Sinha is the special secretary of the Ministry of Shipping. He said that Indian ports give priority to LPG carriers in order to overcome the shortage. (Reporting and editing by Janane Vekatraman in New Delhi, Nidhi verma from New Delhi)

(source: Reuters)