New Delhi, April 15 (IANS) Average auto LPG sales by public sector oil companies have risen to 282 metric tonnes (MT) a day in April this year from 177 MT a day in February as the supply for the transport sector is being maintained along with the domestic sector, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas said on Wednesday.

A total of 1,34,226 metric tonnes of commercial LPG has been sold since March 14 this year, which includes more than 8000 MT of auto LPG.

Over 14.6 lakh 5-kg free trade LPG cylinders, used mainly by migrant labourers, have been sold since March 23.

A three-member committee of Executive Directors from IOCL, HPCL, and BPCL is coordinating with state authorities and industry bodies to plan commercial LPG distribution.

Since March 2026, about 4.5 lakh PNG connections have been gasified and about 5 lakh additional customers have registered for new connections. More than 34,200 PNG consumers have also surrendered LPG connections via MYPNGD.in as the government has been encouraging consumers to shift to natural gas in the wake of LPG imports being hit due to the Middle East conflict.

Enforcement actions continue across the country to curb hoarding and black marketing of LPG. More than 2,100 raids were conducted, and about 450 cylinders were seized across the country on Tuesday. Public sector oil marketing companies have strengthened surprise inspections and imposed penalties on 237 LPG distributorships and suspended 58 LPG distributorships till now.

Despite the ongoing geopolitical situation, the government has prioritised domestic LPG and PNG supply, particularly for hospitals and educational institutions.

Citizens are advised to avoid panic purchases of petrol, diesel, and LPG and rely only on official sources for information. LPG consumers are requested to use digital booking platforms and avoid visiting distributors.

All refineries are operating at high capacity, with adequate crude inventories in place. The country is also maintaining sufficient stocks of petrol and diesel. Domestic LPG production from refineries has been increased to support domestic consumption, the statement said.

The government is making all efforts to ensure the availability of petrol, diesel and LPG, and citizens are advised to avoid panic purchase of the fuels as well as unnecessary booking of LPG. Citizens are requested to use digital modes for booking of LPG cylinders and avoid visiting LPG distributors unless necessary, the statement added.

It has also announced that the increase in the commercial LPG limit to 70 per cent of the pre-March 2026 bulk consumption level will be extended to industrial units in the pharma, food, polymer, agriculture, packaging, paint, uranium, heavy water, steel, seed, metal, ceramic, foundry, forging, glass, and aerosol sectors.

–IANS

sps/vd