India Orders PNG Homes to Give Up LPG Connections as Energy Shipping Disruption Triggers Nationwide Supply Controls

India has ordered households with piped natural gas (PNG) connections to surrender their LPG cooking gas connections as the government intensifies emergency measures to stabilise domestic energy supplies amid the escalating West Asia war and disruptions linked to the Strait of Hormuz.

Representational Image Via: India Info Guide/India&TheWorld

In a major step announced Sunday, the government amended the LPG Control Order, mandating that consumers already connected to PNG pipelines must surrender their LPG connections and prohibiting new LPG connections for PNG users, in a move officials said was designed to optimise limited LPG supplies during the crisis.

The decision comes as authorities continue to manage the domestic fallout from the regional conflict, which has disrupted energy flows and shipping routes across the Gulf.

Officials said the measure aims to “optimise LPG availability” by shifting urban consumers toward PNG networks wherever possible, freeing cooking gas supplies for households and priority sectors such as hospitals and educational institutions.

At the same time, the government stressed that petrol and diesel supplies remain stable, noting that all refineries are operating at high capacity and maintaining adequate crude inventories, while India continues to remain self-sufficient in petrol and diesel production, meaning imports are not required to meet domestic demand.

Authorities again urged citizens not to panic. “Citizens are advised not to resort to panic buying as adequate stocks of petrol and diesel are available across the country,” officials said, adding that no fuel dry-outs have been reported at retail outlets operated by oil marketing companies.

The government said panic-driven demand for LPG is already beginning to ease.

Bookings fell to about 77 lakh cylinders on Saturday, down from 88.8 lakh on March 13, while online LPG bookings increased from 84 percent to about 87 percent, reflecting a push to move consumers toward digital ordering systems.

Officials have repeatedly asked citizens to avoid visiting distributors and instead use IVRS calls, SMS, WhatsApp or mobile applications for bookings.

State governments have also been mobilised to police the supply chain.

According to the government, 22 states and union territories have established control rooms to monitor fuel and LPG supplies, while enforcement teams have launched raids across multiple states including Andhra Pradesh and Bihar to prevent hoarding and black marketing of cylinders.

Officials from public sector oil companies are simultaneously conducting surprise inspections at LPG distributorships to ensure supply continuity.

The government has also activated alternate fuels to relieve pressure on LPG supplies.

An additional 48,000 kilolitres of kerosene has been allocated to states and union territories, while coal and kerosene have been permitted for use by certain sectors such as hospitality and restaurants, measures aimed at preserving LPG stocks for household use.

Meanwhile, the war’s impact on maritime energy routes continues to shape India’s supply chain planning.

In one incident highlighting the risks facing shipping in the Gulf, the Indian-flagged tanker Jag Laadki was loading crude oil at the Fujairah Single Point Mooring when the Fujairah oil terminal came under attack on March 14.

Despite the strike, the vessel sailed safely at 10:30 a.m. IST carrying about 80,800 metric tonnes of Murban crude oil and is now bound for India, with all Indian seafarers on board reported safe.

Two Indian LPG carriers — Shivalik and Nanda Devi, carrying about 92,712 metric tonnes of LPG — have also already crossed the Strait of Hormuz and are currently en route to India, scheduled to arrive at Mundra on March 16 and Kandla on March 17.

Across the Gulf, 22 Indian-flagged vessels carrying 611 seafarers remain west of the Persian Gulf, while the Directorate General of Shipping continues monitoring the situation through a 24-hour control room that has handled nearly 3,000 calls and more than 5,300 emails from seafarers and their families since the crisis began.

So far, 276 Indian seafarers have been safely repatriated from the region, including 23 in the past 24 hours.

At the same time, Indian diplomatic missions across West Asia remain engaged in assisting citizens caught in the conflict zone.

The Ministry of External Affairs said missions are operating 24-hour helplines and maintaining contact with community organisations and local authorities to help stranded Indians with visas, transit arrangements and logistical assistance.

Since February 28, around 194,000 passengers have returned to India from the region, as airlines operate limited or revised flight schedules across the Gulf.

Flights are currently operating from the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Oman, while Qatar’s airspace is partially open with limited services, including one flight to Delhi on Sunday.

For Indians in Bahrain, Kuwait and Iraq, where airspace restrictions remain in place, transit through Saudi Arabia is being arranged.

Despite the government’s extensive response, the human toll of the conflict continues to grow.

Officials confirmed that five Indian nationals have died in incidents linked to the war and one Indian national remains missing, with Indian missions in Oman, Iraq and the UAE working with local authorities to trace the missing individual and repatriate the bodies of those killed.

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