NEW DELHI: The Petroleum Ministry on Friday advised around six million households to switch to piped natural gas (PNG) for relief, in a bid to avoid the hassle of getting liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders amid a surge in panic bookings.
Revealing details of availability of petrol, diesel and cooking fuel in the country, Sujata Sharma, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Petroleum, said: “Today, we have about 1.5 lakh (15 million) domestic consumers in Papua New Guinea and they are getting assured supply. Apart from these 1.5 lakh households, there are about 60,000 (6 million) households close to Papua New Guinea pipelines. They can easily get Papua New Guinea connections.”
“This is also important, so that we can reduce the pressure on the LPG a little bit,” she added.
At present, India has 33.37 lakh crore (333.7 million) domestic LPG customers.
Sharma also suggested LPG commercial customers to contact nearby city gas distribution (CGD) centers to source natural gas through pipelines.
Companies like Delhi-based Indraprastha Gas Ltd (IGL) and Mumbai-based Mahanagar Gas Ltd (MGL) supply fuel to domestic, commercial (hotels, hospitals, restaurants) and industrial customers in their respective areas.
CGD entities supply both PNG, motor fuel and compressed natural gas (CNG). According to the Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell (PPAC), as of December 31, 2025, there were over fourteen CGD entities across the country. Together they have 8,609 CNG stations, 16,243,675 local PNG connections, 48,157 commercial customers, and 21,373 industrial users.
Sharma said natural gas supplies have been given priority to the household and transportation sector since March 5, thus maintaining supplies to essential sectors.
On March 9, the government raised the Essential Commodities Law that prioritized 100% natural gas allocation to households and cars. On March 8, the government directed Indian refineries to increase production of liquefied petroleum gas to meet the shortage caused by the war in West Asia.
“The measures taken by the government have increased domestic LPG production by 30%,” Sharma said, adding that India imports about 60% of its LPG needs, 90% of which comes through the Strait of Hormuz. She added: “Increasing production helps meet the demand for cooking gas in homes.”
As for non-local supplies of liquefied petroleum gas, priority is given to hospitals and educational institutions.
Sharma said uninterrupted LPG supply to homes has been ensured, so customers should avoid panic booking of gas cylinders. “There was no need for panic booking and there was no drought at any LPG dealer,” she said. Amid the rumours, LPG bookings rose to around 75 to 76 lakh (7.5-7.5 million) against an average of 50 to 55 lakh (5-5.5 million), she said, adding that the rise in demand shows “panic” booking.
The war in West Asia led to the disruption of supplies of crude oil and petroleum products after the Strait of Hormuz was effectively closed. The choke point connects the Gulf to the Arabian Sea and this route is used for 20% of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas shipments. India imports approximately 60% of its liquefied petroleum gas needs, and approximately 90% of these imports pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
