The Narendra Modi government on Friday produced data to assure the country’s citizens not to panic over supply of domestic LPG.
"The domestic production of LPG has already increased by 30 per cent since March 5. There is no need for panic booking, and there has been no dry out at any LPG dealer," said Sujata Sharma, joint secretary in the ministry of petroleum and natural gas, adding that the situation was under control.
The ministry claimed LPG bookings had risen to 75.7 lakh compared to the pre-war average of 55.7 lakh, indicating panic buying by consumers.
The Centre’s assurance came on the same day when a resident of Barnala in Punjab reportedly died while standing in a queue for refill of domestic LPG since 5am Friday.
On Thursday, PM Narendra Modi and petroleum minister Hardeep Singh Puri had assured that there was no dearth of cooking gas in the country, though in the last five days in major metro cities and towns there have been huge queues at distribution centres, disruption in online booking, and restaurants, eateries and cloud kitchens have either shut down or curtailed their operations.
Sharma said India's refining system remains stable despite the disruption.
"As far as crude oil is concerned, we have a refining capacity of 258 million metric tonnes, and we are self-sufficient in the production of petrol and diesel. Therefore, there is no need for India to import petrol and diesel. All our refineries are operating at 100 per cent capacity or even more. The refineries have adequate inventory of crude oil, and supplies are also being maintained," she said.
"Regarding natural gas, the Natural Gas Order issued on 9 March 2026 prioritised several sectors. In accordance with that order, PNG domestic supply and CNG are being ensured without any cuts in supply. In this situation, there is no need for panic," Sharma added.
The concerns follow the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow passage between Iran and Oman that is one of the world's most important energy transit routes.
The 50-mile-long strait connects the Gulf with the Arabian Sea and carries about a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas.
India imports about 88 per cent of its crude oil, 50 per cent of its LNG and around 60 per cent of its LPG requirement, much of which usually passes through the strait.
Energy flows through the route have been affected since tensions escalated in West Asia on February 28, when the United States and Israel carried out strikes on Iran, followed by retaliatory attacks from Tehran.
The assurances from the Centre did not sound convincing to the Opposition.
"Modi is to India what Nero was to Rome. When Rome was burning, its emperor - Nero - wasn’t even there. Similarly, Narendra Modi is rarely there, where he is needed. India is facing an energy crisis, but instead of helping the nation solve this problem, he is busy pleading for votes while indulging in baseless and frivolous propaganda to suggest that there is no energy crisis," Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera wrote on his X handle.
"Incapable of offering a solution, all he provides is shameless denial. But the distressed faces, the long queues, and the shuttered restaurants across India tell a very different - and far grimmer - story. India needs a leader, not a dealer who becomes a mute spectator, in crisis," Khera said
Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned till 2 pm on Friday amid protests by opposition members over the LPG situation and rising prices.
When the House reassembled at noon after an earlier adjournment, Opposition members entered the Well and raised slogans against the government. Parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju criticised the Congress during the exchange.
"Their leader is refusing to change. Now the members are also behaving like him. Their leader is indulging in drama in Parliament premises by holding plate and glass. They think that by doing such theatrics they will be able to draw the attention of the people, but people know them very well that is why they have not been able to come to power," Rijiju said.
Outside Parliament, Opposition MPs also held protests over the alleged shortage of cooking gas. Trinamool MP Mahua Moitra said consumers were struggling to get cylinders.
"There's an acute crisis of LPG in the country. People are panicking. You can see that even in Bengal, because systems are crashing at the main distributors, they're resorting to manual bookings," she said.
"You have families, old people, young parents standing in queue waiting to book their cylinders, and the government is putting out this information that you can get your cylinders in two and a half days... We challenge the prime minister, challenge ministers to go and find out where people are getting their cylinders within two and a half days on booking," Moitra added.
She also questioned government claims on fuel reserves.
"The petroleum minister lied to the country and said that India has 75 days' worth of supplies. Now they've invoked the Essential Commodities Act and said that there are barely 25 days. All we get are lies. And where is the prime minister? The prime minister has not come to the house for the last five days," she said.
"While this acute crisis is going on, he's electioneering in Kerala; he's become an election machine, not a prime minister. It's really a shame," Moitra added.
State governments also issued statements saying there was no shortage. Madhya Pradesh chief minister Mohan Yadav said supply of cooking gas, PNG and CNG in the state was continuing without disruption.
"Citizens will not face any problems regarding cooking gas. There is no shortage of domestic cooking gas, PNG, and CNG in the state and uninterrupted supply is being ensured to consumers," an official statement quoted him as saying.
In Gujarat, the state government rejected claims by the Opposition that there was a shortage of LPG. It told the assembly that more than four lakh cylinders were available in the state.
In Jajpur town in Odisha, residents blocked a road by placing empty cylinders after a distributor shut its office with a "No Stock Today" notice.
“I booked a cylinder five days ago. The distributor asked me to come today, but the office was closed when I arrived,” a consumer waiting outside the agency said.
In West Bengal, people were seen standing outside distribution centres from Kakdwip to Siliguri, saying they were unable to complete bookings online.
The state government has set up a round-the-clock control room at Nabanna and formed a state-level LPG crisis monitoring committee to review supply and address complaints.
In a letter to the deputy chairman of the Tea Board in Kolkata, the Darjeeling Tea Association referred to a communication from the petroleum ministry directing public sector oil marketing companies to ensure that LPG procured by them is supplied only to households.
The association warned that the order could lead to non-availability of industrial LPG for tea estate factories and affect the manufacture of Darjeeling tea.
“The members of this association request to use your good offices with the concerned ministry to ensure uninterrupted supply of industrial LPG to the factories of the Darjeeling tea industry,” the letter stated.
The association said many tea estates had shifted from coal-fired systems to industrial LPG over the past decade. Any disruption in supply could affect the livelihoods of around 55,000 permanent workers and their families.
Religious institutions have also raised concerns. The Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) on Friday sought intervention of the Union petroleum minister to ensure LPG supply for langar services.
In a letter to the minister, the DSGMC said the war in West Asia had affected langar operations because gas agencies had allegedly stopped LPG supplies.
A DSGMC office-bearer said larger gurdwaras have piped natural gas connections but smaller ones depend on LPG cylinders to run community kitchens.
Distributors in Telangana said panic buying had disrupted booking systems at several distribution points. Telangana LPG Distributors Association president Kalluri Jagan Mohan Reddy said the sudden spike in orders had strained the network.
“There is no problem with respect to domestic cylinders. There is a regular supply also. But there is panic booking among the consumers, so pendency is increasing. Since there is a sudden surge in business by 50 per cent, there is a delay in supplying. It is because of panic buying,” Reddy told PTI.