Govt ensures uninterrupted fuel supply amid West Asia crisis; urges public to avoid panic buying

New Delhi [India], May 2 (ANI): The government on Saturday said it has ensured uninterrupted fuel supply and stepped up contingency measures across key sectors, even as the ongoing West Asia crisis continues to impact global energy markets.

‘Despite the ongoing geopolitical situation, the Government has ensured that 100% supply is being made to Domestic LPG, Domestic PNG and CNG (Transport),’ the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas said in a release, outlining its preparedness to maintain energy availability.

The ministry also issued a public advisory, urging citizens to avoid panic buying. ‘Citizens are advised to avoid panic purchase of petrol, diesel and LPG as the Govt is making all efforts to ensure availability,’ it said, adding that people should ‘beware of rumours and rely on official sources for correct information.’

The government said it has prioritised LPG supply for households and critical sectors. ‘Supply of LPG to domestic households has been prioritised,’ the ministry noted, while highlighting that ‘no dry-outs have been reported at LPG distributorships.’

To manage demand, authorities have introduced several rationalisation measures. These include increasing the LPG booking interval and promoting alternative fuels. ‘Alternate fuels such as kerosene and coal have been made available to ease pressure on LPG demand,’ the ministry said.

On the supply side, refineries are operating at high capacity. ‘All refineries are operating at high capacity with adequate crude inventories, while sufficient stocks of petrol and diesel are being maintained,’ the ministry added.

The government has also taken steps to shield consumers from global price volatility. It said the ‘Middle East crisis has led to an abnormal increase in crude prices; however, to protect consumers, the Government of India has reduced excise duty on petrol and diesel by 10 per litre.’

In addition, export levies on fuel have been cut. The government ‘reduced the export levy on diesel from Rs. 55.50 per litre to Rs. 23 per litre and on ATF from Rs. 42 per litre to Rs. 33 per litre,’ the release said.

The ministry acknowledged that ‘LPG supply continues to be affected by the prevailing geopolitical situation,’ but said mitigation measures have helped stabilise distribution.

Alongside fuel management, the government is pushing for a structural shift towards cleaner fuels. Since March 2026, ‘about 5.96 Lakh PNG connections have been gasified… taking the total to 8.64 lakh connections,’ the ministry said, adding that ‘about 6.66 Lakh customers have been registered for new connections’.

The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways said maritime operations remain stable despite tensions in the Gulf. ‘All Indian seafarers in the region are safe, and no incident involving Indian-flagged vessels has been reported in the past 24 hours,’ it said.

It added that ‘the safe repatriation of more than 2,922 Indian seafarers’ has been facilitated so far, including recent evacuations.

Overall, the government emphasised that supplies remain stable and urged citizens to remain calm, reiterating that ‘there are adequate stocks of petrol and diesel available at all Petrol Pumps in the country’. (ANI)