New Delhi: The government on Saturday said there has been a sharp rise in panic booking of LPG cylinders even as it maintained that there is no shortage of petroleum products in the country.

Addressing the media, Sujata Sharma, Joint Secretary (Marketing & Oil Refinery) at the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, said the number of LPG bookings has increased significantly in recent days amid concerns triggered by the ongoing geopolitical situation.

"Regarding the LPG supply, I must state that it remains a matter of concern for us in light of the prevailing geopolitical situation; however, no stockouts have been reported thus far. I would like to re-emphasise one specific point: instances of panic booking remain excessively high. The figure I shared with you yesterday—approximately 7.5 to 7.6 million bookings—has now risen to nearly 8.8 million..."

Sharma, however, stressed that India currently has adequate crude oil supplies and that refineries are functioning normally.

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"As far as crude oil and refineries are concerned, we have a sufficient supply of crude, and our refineries are operating at full capacity. No instances of stockouts have been reported at retail outlets; ample petrol and diesel are available. We produce sufficient petrol and diesel domestically to meet our requirements; consequently, we have no need for imports. As far as natural gas is concerned, I drew your attention yesterday to the government's objective: wherever commercial consumers are facing difficulties or disruptions in their LPG supply, they should be transitioned to PNG connections. In furtherance of this objective, GAIL (Gas Authority of India Limited) held a meeting with various CGD operators and advised them to expedite the provision of PNG connections to all eligible commercial consumers wherever feasible..."

Meanwhile, Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said India is not facing any crisis related to petroleum products despite the ongoing tensions in West Asia impacting global energy markets.

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"There is no crisis regarding petroleum products in India... the war-like situation in the Middle East has posed a challenge before all countries. Speaking of our neighbouring countries, an emergency-like situation prevails in Pakistan, while schools and colleges have been closed in Bangladesh," he said.

Shekhawat also highlighted that India has expanded its crude oil import network to strengthen energy security.

"We used to import crude oil from a total of 27 countries earlier; now the government has signed agreements with 40 countries for crude oil imports. We have diversified our supply lines," he said, adding that although gas supply disruptions have been reported globally, the government has taken steps to ensure continued supply in the country.

Responding to criticism from the Indian National Congress, the minister said the opposition was attempting to create an unnecessary controversy.

"The Congress has no issue, that's why they are trying to make it an issue," he said.