Andhra Pradesh Finance Minister P Keshav on Saturday asked Indian residents not to panic over the supply crunch of cooking gas, stating that both the central and state governments are implementing measures to ensure little inconvenience to people.
Keshav said the Group of Ministers responsible for handling the Liquefied Petroleum Gas situation are consistently keeping track of the supply scenario.
“There is no need for people to panic about cooking gas as the central and state governments are taking measures to avoid inconvenience for them,” he said in an official press release.
Agriculture Minister K Atchannaidu and Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) executives met officials from the Civil Supplies Department on Saturday to review the cooking gas situation. They discussed daily requirements, supply position, and future plans, as per a press release.
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The ministers decided to implement a strong action plan based on real-data analysis. Appealing to people to ignore rumours, Keshav and Atchannaidu said the Centre has ordered refineries to boost gas production by 20% by reducing other petroleum products. They added that household cooking gas supply is a priority, with hospitals and hostels also getting priority.
According to the Ministers, the Centre imposed some restrictions on booking gas cylinders. Under the new norms, refilling can be booked only after 25 days in cities and 45 days in rural areas, while consumers with double cylinders have to wait for 32 days.
Further, they warned of stringent action against those involved in black marketing of cooking gas cylinder.
The government has already held meetings with hotel and gas dealers' associations.
Noting that 95% gas bookings are made online, the ministers said 88% of gas deliveries are completed using OTP (one time password).
They called for increasing this percentage.
As an alternative, the southern state is also exploring the use of piped gas to ease pressure on LPG supply, the press release added.
(With PTI Inputs)
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