petrol and diesel
On behalf of the Petroleum Ministry, Sujata Sharma said that due to the situation in West Asia, LPG and natural gas have also been affected, but our refineries are working normally and we have sufficient stock. If we talk about supply, there is sufficient stock of petrol, diesel, LPG and natural gas and the stock has not run out at any LPG distributor or retail center. Along with this, he said that the loss of OMC companies has reduced from Rs 1000 crore per day to Rs 750 crore per day.
However, due to rumors in many places, people are panic buying more. In such cases, immediate action is being taken to restore supply and identify retail centres. It is also being seen that the wholesale sales which used to happen are now converting into petrol pump sales. Nevertheless, every possible effort is being made to maintain normal supply of petrol and diesel in the country and there is no shortage of stock at any retail centre.
Sujata Sharma said that the supply of domestic cooking gas (LPG) is also being ensured continuously and no distributor has run out of stock. The supply of commercial LPG remains more than 70 percent. About 7.37 lakh PNG connections have been activated since the month of March, while infrastructure has been prepared for 2.76 lakh connections. Apart from this, more than 7.76 lakh people have registered for PNG connection. At the same time, more than 58 thousand PNG consumers have surrendered their LPG connections.
About 1.72 crore domestic LPG cylinders were delivered in the last four days, while 1.69 crore bookings were received during this period. That means more cylinders have been distributed than the demand. The supply of commercial LPG is also continuing and since the beginning of this month, 1.08 lakh tonnes of commercial LPG has been sold. More than 25,200 tonnes of commercial LPG has been sold in the last four days. At the same time, 888 tonnes of auto LPG has also been sold. The sale of five kg cylinders has been more than 1.90 lakh in the last four days.
Sujata Sharma said that awareness camps are being run continuously by the government oil companies. About 95 camps were set up yesterday, where more than 2,200 cylinders were sold. Natural gas based urea plants are working at 96 percent level of their requirement. Gas supply to CGD companies has also been increased by 80 percent.
If additional requirement comes from industry, power plant, textile, pharma or commercial sector, then other suppliers are trying to fulfill it. Apart from this, if we talk about C3-C4 molecules like propylene and butylene, since May 1 till now, different refineries have sold 8,730 tonnes of propylene and 3,420 tonnes of butylene. Officials of state governments and oil companies are continuously running investigation campaigns. In the last four days, government companies have conducted surprise inspections on about 2,800 petrol pumps and LPG distributors.
Aparna Sharma of the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers said that there has been no major change in the MRP of major fertilizers. Despite the crisis, domestic production remains good, reaching 86.2 lakh metric tonnes. More than 22 lakh metric tonnes of imported fertilizers have reached Indian shores and the overall situation remains normal. India has already made arrangements for about 13.5 lakh metric tons of DAP and 7 lakh metric tons of NPK complex under its long term plan.
Apart from this, companies have also purchased the raw materials required for making ammonium sulphate and fertilizers. The government and departments are constantly reviewing the availability of essential materials and subsidy payments are also being made regularly through DBT. The Fertilizer Department is continuously monitoring the situation and till now about 9 meetings of the Secretary level Empowered Group have been held. According to the government, the situation remains completely stable and satisfactory.
Mukesh Mangal, on behalf of the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, said that Marshall Islands flagged LPG Carrier Semi, which was carrying 10,965 metric tonnes of LPG for India, discharged its entire cargo on the night of May 16. The Ministry is continuously working with the Ministry of External Affairs, Indian Missions and maritime stakeholders to ensure the safety of seafarers and normal maritime operations. According to the government, all Indian sailors present in the area are safe and no incident involving any Indian ship or foreign ship with Indian crew has been reported in the last 96 hours.
So far, 9,702 calls and more than 21,000 emails have been handled in the control room. Received 436 calls and 996 emails in last 96 hours. The ministry has so far facilitated the safe return of more than 3,217 Indian sailors, including 61 sailors in the last 96 hours. All port operations in India are normal and there is no congestion or blockage anywhere.
Asim Mahajan, Joint Secretary (Gulf) in the Ministry of External Affairs, said that the Ministry is continuously monitoring the developments happening in the Gulf and West Asia. The focus of the government is to ensure the safety and well-being of Indian citizens. The Special Control Room of the Ministry is continuously working to answer the questions of Indian citizens and their families. The Government is in constant touch with the State Governments and Indian Missions to share information and maintain coordination in all efforts. Indian Embassy and Consulates in this area are running 24-hour helplines and all necessary help is being provided to Indian citizens.
Advisories related to local government guidelines, flight and travel status, consular services and other important information are also being issued continuously. The Indian Mission is in constant touch with the Indian community living there, organizations, professional groups and Indian companies to address the concerns of the people. The government said that the safety of Indian sailors is a top priority and if needed, they are being provided consular assistance and help in returning to India.
