Naushera (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], April 1 : Long queues were seen outside LPG distribution points in Naushera, Jammu and Kashmir, on Tuesday as people faced a shortage of cooking gas. Residents, including women and children, waited for several hours to get LPG cylinders.
A local, Harjinder Singh, spoke about the problems people are facing and urged the administration to take action. He said many women had been waiting since morning, leaving their children at home, while others stood in queues without food.
"We are facing a lot of problems. Women here have been sitting since morning, leaving their children alone at home... I wanted to say to the administration that whatever is happening is very wrong... We have been standing here since 7 AM, and we are hungry. My wife and my children are also here with me... I urge the authorities to do this work properly..."
On Monday, the Union government announced that 100 per cent supply of natural gas is being maintained for domestic consumers and CNG transport, noting that approximately 95 per cent of LPG bookings were done online yesterday.
Speaking at a joint inter-ministerial briefing, Sujata Sharma, Joint Secretary (Marketing and Oil Refinery) at the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, stated that the country possesses sufficient fuel reserves to meet current demand.
"Our refineries are in normal operation, and crude inventories are adequate. Some retail outlets are in normal operation, but panic buying is also observed in some retail outlets. In this regard, I would like to tell the people of the country that petrol and diesel are available in sufficient quantities with us," Sharma said.
She explained that the government took several steps to ensure domestic stability, including the reduction of excise duty on petrol and diesel by Rs 10 and the imposition of export taxes to maintain the availability of diesel and Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) in the local market.
The Joint Secretary detailed the expansion of the Piped Natural Gas (PNG) network, noting that several central ministries, including the Ministry of Defence, issued orders to support expansion in residential areas and unit lines.
She added that the government issued a Gazette notification on March 24 to expedite last-mile connectivity. Regarding the status of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), Sharma confirmed there is no "dry out" at any distributor.
Furthermore, enforcement actions led to almost 2,500 raids under the Enforcement Act, resulting in the seizure of 2,000 cylinders. Additionally, oil marketing companies issued nearly 500 show-cause notices following surprise inspections.
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