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 ongoing West Asia conflict.
About 432,000 PNG connections have been gasified while 475,000 additional customers have registered for new connections since March, said Sujata Sharma, joint secretary, 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, ministry of ports, shipping and waterways.
Shubhangi Mathur, Business Standard
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