LPG supply a cause of concern, but no dry out: Centre issues clarification amidst Strait of Hormuz crisis

Amid mounting concerns of the country’s Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) stocks running out due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the Central Government said that “LPG remains a matter of concern”, but emphasised that none of the 25,000 LPG distributors has reported any dry out.

The statement came from the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas on Friday (March 13, 2026), which said that while the country’s supplies of petrol and diesel have remained stable, the availability of LPG has been a matter of concern for the government.

Speaking during an inter-ministerial briefing in New Delhi, Sujata Sharma, Joint Secretary (Marketing and Oil Refinery) in the ministry, assured that petrol and diesel were available in adequate quantities at fuel stations across the country. “Petrol and diesel are available in adequate quantities at all petrol pumps,” Sharma said. “Regarding LPG, I would like to state that this remains a matter of concern for us. Nevertheless, despite this situation, no dry out has been reported at any of our 25,000 distributors. I would like to appeal to all fellow citizens not to give credence to rumours and to refrain from engaging in panic buying,” she added.

Further clarifying India’s position regarding the domestic production of petrol and diesel, Sharma said that India is self-sufficient with a refining capacity of about 258 million metric tonnes. She said that all the refineries across the country are operating at full capacity or above and have adequate crude oil inventories.

“As far as crude oil is concerned, we possess a refining capacity of 258 million metric tonnes. We are self-sufficient in the production of petrol and diesel; consequently, there is no need to import these fuels into India. All our refineries are currently operating at 100 per cent capacity or higher,” Sharma said.

She further assured that the supply of Piped Natural Gas (PNG) to households and Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) for vehicles remains uninterrupted across the country. Acknowledging the problem of LPG supply disruptions being faced by commercial consumers, Sharma said that the central government is taking steps to address the issue. Till tne government works out a solution for that, Sharma advised the commercial establishments to approach their local gas distributor/dealer and obtain PNG connections where available.