Amid rising tensions in West Asia and reports of panic buying in parts of the country, the government on Wednesday reiterated that there is no shortage of fuel, with adequate stocks of petrol, diesel and LPG available nationwide.Sujata Sharma, Joint Secretary (Marketing & Oil Refinery) in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, said India has the capacity to refine about 26 crore tonnes of crude oil annually and that supply chains remain fully functional.“Over the past two days, we have seen lines outside petrol pumps in many areas…. There is no shortage at any outlet. Terminals supplying them also have sufficient quantities. Do not believe rumours and avoid panic buying,” she said, adding that there has been no increase in fuel prices.The government also underlined that domestic cooking fuel supplies remain stable, with 100 per cent demand for PNG and CNG being met and LPG stocks adequate across distributorships.Highlighting the shift towards cleaner fuels, Sharma said more than 2.5 lakh new PNG connections have been issued in the past 25 days, while around 2.2 lakh consumers have moved from LPG to piped gas. A recent gazette notification aims to further streamline PNG adoption across states.On LPG availability, she said about 22,000 tonnes of commercial LPG have been allocated across 26 states, supplemented by supplies from oil marketing companies. Authorities have also stepped up enforcement to curb hoarding, conducting nearly 2,700 raids and seizing around 2,000 cylinders.She noted that India’s import dependence is significantly higher for LPG than for PNG and LNG, making the transition to piped gas a strategic priority.Meanwhile, the government said there were no loaded cargoes of fuel coming from Iran to India, dismissing media reports of fresh energy purchases from Tehran.“We have not heard of any such development. There are no loaded cargoes from Iran,” said Rajesh Kumar Sinha, Special Secretary in the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, at an inter-ministerial briefing.His remarks came in response to reports claiming that India had bought its first cargo of Iranian liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) in years after the temporary easing of US sanctions. India had halted energy imports from Iran in 2019 under Western pressure.Meanwhile, Sinha said maritime operations remain unaffected despite the regional tensions. “No incidents involving Indian ships or sailors have been reported in the past 24 hours,” he said, adding that 20 Indian-flagged vessels with around 540 Indian sailors are currently in the Persian Gulf and are safe. About 50 sailors were repatriated over the past day with assistance from Indian missions.Port operations continue to function normally without congestion, he said. Mundra Port has announced relief measures, including 15 days of free storage for Middle East-bound export containers and waivers on several handling charges.Officials said the government was closely monitoring the situation to ensure energy security and uninterrupted supply, even as the West Asia crisis continues to evolve.


