New Delhi, Mar 25: The Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas dismissed reports of revised LPG refill timelines as fake news, urging citizens to avoid panic buying.
“Certain news reports and social media posts claim new timelines—45 days for PMUY, 25 for non-PMUY single bottle, 35 for double bottle. No such changes exist. Existing rules stand: 25 days urban, 45 days rural, regardless of type,” the ministry stated.
It assured adequate LPG, petrol, and diesel stocks nationwide, with refineries at full capacity and boosted domestic LPG output.
Joint Secretary Sujata Sharma, at Tuesday’s Inter-Ministerial Briefing on West Asia developments, confirmed no disruptions despite geopolitical tensions. “All refineries operate at high capacity with ample crude. We’ve lined up LPG cargoes—no dry-outs at distributorships,” she said.
Localized rumors triggered minor panic buying, but oil firms clarified promptly. “Over 1 lakh retail outlets run normally. Ignore rumors,” Sharma added.
PNGRB ordered City Gas Distribution entities to provide PNG to schools, hostels, Anganwadis, and kitchens within 5 days where pipelines exist—7,500 connections added yesterday across 110 areas. “60 lakh households eligible—take PNG soon,” Sharma urged.
Commercial LPG allocation rose 50% for essentials like restaurants, industries, and community kitchens. Ujjwala gave 11 lakh connections to migrants, plus 20,000 small 5kg cylinders daily.
States set up control rooms; 3,400 raids seized 1,000 cylinders in Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, MP, Rajasthan, Telangana. Oil firms conducted 1,500 inspections, filing 642 FIRs, arresting 155, suspending distributors.
“Don’t believe rumors—stocks and supplies are sufficient,” Sharma concluded.
