The Government today said that uninterrupted supply of oil and gas is being ensured in the country. Addressing the inter-ministerial briefing in New Delhi on the West Asia conflict, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas Sujata Sharma said that the government has taken effective steps to ensure normal supply of LPG, PNG, petrol and diesel in the country. She added that the supply of domestic LPG is normal and over 45 lakh bookings were registered yesterday and around 51 lakh domestic LPG cylinders were delivered. She also highlighted that over eight thousand tonnes of commercial LPG were sold yesterday.
Joint Secretary in the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, DPIIT Nidhi Kesarwani also highlighted the measures taken by the government amidst the West Asia crisis. She added that under the Petroleum and Explosive Safety Organisation, the Department has issued multiple activities and facilitative orders to ensure uninterrupted supply of fuel and gas. She said that under the compressed and natural gas and biogas, the process of giving license to dispensing stations has been expedited. Ms Nidhi also said that out of 467 applications, final licenses have been granted in 157 cases related to dispensing stations. She said, in addition, 41 biogas cylinder filling and storage plants have been granted approval.
Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Mukesh Mangal said that no incidents involving Indian-flagged vessels have been reported in the last 24 hours and Indian seafarers remain safe in the Persian Gulf region. He added that the Indian-flagged crude oil tanker Desh Garima, which crossed safely on 18 March carrying 31 Indian seafarers, is expected to reach Mumbai this evening. He also said the Ministry has facilitated the safe repatriation of over two thousand six hundred Indian seafarers so far, including 25 in the last 24 hours.
External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that India has always been in favour of peace and welcomes all initiatives that lead to peace and stability in the West Asia. He added that India has already welcomed the ceasefire that has been reached and hopes that it leads to a lasting peace in the region. He underlined that de-escalation, dialogue and diplomacy are essential to bring an early end to the ongoing conflict.
Additional Secretary (Gulf) in the Ministry of External Affairs Aseem Mahajan said that the government is closely monitoring developments in Gulf and West Asia region. He added that overall flight situation continues to improve, and Iran airspace remains partially open for cargo and chartered flights. He also said that Gulf Air is operating flights from Bahrain to various destinations in India.
