New Delhi, April 24 (IANS): More than 51.8 lakh domestic LPG cylinders were delivered on Saturday as the supply of cooking gas continues to be normal with no dry-outs being reported at retail distributorships, according to the update issued by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas on Sunday.

Besides, 5.45 lakh PNG connections have been gasified, and infrastructure has been created for an additional 2.62 lakh connections since March this year. More than 42,500 PNG consumers have also surrendered their LPG connections via MYPNGD.in website, the statement said.

Meanwhile, online domestic LPG cylinder bookings have increased to 98 per cent, while authentication code-based deliveries, on the registered mobile number of the consumer, have increased to around 94 per cent to prevent diversion at the distributor level.

Supply of cooking gas to domestic households has been prioritised even as overall LPG supply continues to be affected by the prevailing geopolitical situation.

Over 9,131 metric tonnes (MT) of commercial LPG (equivalent to more than 4.8 lakh 19 kg cylinders) was sold on Saturday, which takes the total amount sold during this month to 1,64,655 MT (equivalent to more than 86.66 lakh 19 kg LPG cylinders).

Meanwhile, enforcement actions continue across the country to curb hoarding and black marketing of LPG. More than 2,100 raids were conducted across the country on Saturday.

Public sector oil marketing companies have strengthened surprise inspections and imposed penalties on 310 LPG distributorships and suspended 70 LPG distributorships so far.

The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas further stated that it is taking steps to ensure the uninterrupted availability of petroleum products and LPG across the country, in the context of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

Citizens are advised to avoid panic purchase of petrol, diesel and LPG and to beware of rumours and rely on official sources for correct 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, while sufficient stocks of petrol and diesel are being maintained. Local LPG production from refineries has been increased to support domestic consumption, the statement added.

–IANS

sps/vd