Oil Marketing Companies to ration LPG supplies amid West Asia conflict; Domestic consumers prioritized

New Delhi [India], March 11 (ANI): Due to the current West Asia geopolitical situation and blockade on LPG imports, available supplies are being carefully rationed to ensure wider coverage, with domestic households being the top priority. The three major state-run oil marketing companies (OMCs) have initiated a judicial distribution strategy to manage the available Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) stocks.
In a joint statement on Wednesday by Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOC), Bharat Petroleum Corporation (BPC), and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation (HPC), the companies confirmed that "available LPG is being rationed judiciously to increase the coverage." The decision comes as the industry faces logistical challenges in securing import parcels due to the ongoing regional instability.
To manage the distribution for non-domestic sectors, a dedicated committee of Executive Directors of LPG from IOC, BPC, and HPC has been formed. This body is tasked with receiving and reviewing representations from various industries and institutions. The OMCs stated that these applications "are being scrutinised by the Committee" to determine the necessity of the request.
"In view of geopolitical situation and current blockade on LPG imports, available LPG is being rationed judiciously to increase the coverage. A committee of Executive Directors of LPG of IOC, BPC & HPC has been formed to receive the representations from industries/institutions and the same are being scrutinized by the Committee. Based on the criticality, LPG allocations are being considered. Each application is being responded explaining the situation. However, the priority segment shall be Domestic Households for which the product needs to be conserved. We note Govt. is making all efforts for free passage of import parcels and hope normalcy in supplies will be restored soon," the joint statement said.
Amidst growing pressure on global fuel supplies due to the ongoing West Asia conflict, the Union Government on Tuesday invoked the Essential Commodities Act (EC Act) to safeguard the domestic energy market.
According to the Petroleum Ministry, the government has issued a control order directing refineries and petrochemical units to maximise the production of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and divert key hydrocarbon streams to the LPG pool to ensure an uninterrupted supply of cooking gas across the country.
The Petroleum Ministry stated that the invocation of the Act has established a clear priority list for natural gas distribution to manage current supply constraints.
Under this new mandate, there is a 100% assured supply of domestic piped gas for homes and CNG for vehicles.
Other sectors will face calibrated supply caps based on their previous six-month average consumption. (ANI)