Government Assures Fuel Supplies And Seafarer Safety Amid West Asia Developments

Refineries are reported to be operating at high capacity with adequate inventories of petrol and diesel, and domestic LPG production has been increased to support consumption. The Government has reduced excise duties on petrol and diesel by Rs 10 per litre and imposed export levies of Rs 21.5 per litre on diesel and Rs 29.5 per litre on aviation turbine fuel to protect domestic availability. Citizens have been urged not to act on rumours and State and Union territory governments have been requested to hold regular press briefings.

Domestic piped natural gas (PNG) and compressed natural gas for transport have been prioritised for one hundred per cent supplies while industrial and commercial grid consumers are receiving around eighty per cent of their average use. City Gas Distribution (CGD) entities have been directed to prioritise connections for commercial establishments and incentives have been offered by several CGD companies. The Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) has asked CGD firms to connect residential institutions within five days where pipelines exist and the National PNG Drive 2.0 has been extended to 30 June 2026. During March more than 0.31 mn connections were gasified and a further 0.27 mn new connections are being gasified.

Supply of domestic liquefied petroleum gas has been sustained with online bookings rising to ninety-two per cent and Delivery Authentication Code (DAC) deliveries increasing from fifty-three per cent to eighty-three per cent. Since 1 March an average of 5 mn domestic LPG cylinders per day have been delivered by public sector companies. Commercial allocations have been adjusted to prioritise essential services and industries and an additional 48,000 kL of kerosene has been allocated for cooking and lighting where required. Five kilogram (kg) FTL cylinders totalling 0.32 mn have been sold to migrant labourers since 23 March, with 63,000 sold yesterday.

Maritime operations and seafarer welfare continue to be monitored and facilitated, with safe repatriation of over 959 seafarers so far and nine in the last 24 hours. Port operations across the country remain normal and enforcement action against hoarding and black marketing has continued, with more than 3,000 raids conducted, around 3,000 surprise inspections and some 540 show cause notices issued. The Government has reiterated advice to avoid panic buying, use digital LPG booking channels and conserve energy in daily use.