Nearly 32,000 PNG consumers give up LPG connections amid govt push

Over 31,700 PNG users have given up LPG connections as the government pushes gas adoption amid supply disruptions; new registrations and gasified connections rise sharply

More than 31,700 piped natural gas (PNG) consumers have surrendered their liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) connections until April 12 as the government pushes adoption of natural gas in the country due to cooking gas shortage triggered by the West Asia conflict.

 

About 4,32,000 PNG connections have been gasified while 4,75,000 additional customers have registered for new connections since March, said Sujata Sharma, joint secretary at Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG), at a press briefing on Monday.

 

On March 14, the government had issued an order stating that individuals holding both PNG and domestic LPG connections cannot retain the LPG connection or receive cylinder refills from oil companies or their distributors. Meanwhile, India’s gas companies are offering incentives for switching to PNG.

   

As India faces a shortage of cooking gas, the government informed that an India-flagged vessel, Jag Vikram, carrying approximately 20,400 tonnes of LPG with 24 seafarers onboard is expected to arrive at Kandla port on April 14. The vessel had transited the Strait of Hormuz on April 11.

 

Following safe passage of the latest LPG vessel, 15 India-flagged vessels remain stranded in the Persian Gulf. India’s shipping ministry, in co-ordination with the Ministry of External Affairs, is working to ensure a safe passage of the remaining vessels, said Mukesh Mangal, additional secretary at Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways.

 

India’s LPG supplies from West Asia remain disrupted due to closure of the Strait of Hormuz amid continued tensions between the US and Iran. India imports around 90 per cent of its LPG imports from West Asia. To ensure domestic availability, India is sourcing LPG from sources bypassing the Strait of Hormuz, including the US, Russia, Angola, and Iran.

 

The petroleum ministry said in a statement that online LPG bookings have increased to about 99 per cent across the industry, and more than 1.3 million 5Kg FTL cylinders have been sold since 23 March.

 

The government also said that since the onset of the crisis, the Ministry of Heavy Industries has taken coordinated measures to sustain electric mobility growth and address supply chain vulnerabilities in EV components. This includes approval for extending the ₹10,900 crore PM E-DRIVE Scheme to sustain EV adoption and manufacturing momentum.