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NEW DELHI: The govt’s campaign to discourage panic booking of LPG refills seems to have had an impact, with the number of domestic bookings declining from 88.8 lakh on Friday to 77 lakh on Saturday.The petroleum ministry said online bookings have also increased from 84% to 87%, while no dry-outs were reported at LPG distributors. Online booking had become difficult over the past few days as unusually high call volumes led the system to crash. This led to consumers lining up at gas depots and demanding immediate refills.

Though the availability of LPG amid the conflict in West Asia continues to be a concern, forcing govt to reduce the delivery of commercial cylinders – largely used by small eateries, restaurants and the hospitality industry – to just 20%, the ministry said in a statement that arrangements were in place to maintain regular supply and distribution.“Steps have been taken to ensure stable availability of petroleum products and LPG across the country. LPG supply continues to be monitored in view of the prevailing geopolitical situation,” it said.

6 India-flagged ships on standby at Hormuz India imports nearly 60% of its LPG requirement and about 90% of it comes through the Strait of Hormuz, which has effectively been closed since the military conflict broke out in West Asia on Feb 28. While two ships carrying 97,200 metric tonnes of LPG are scheduled to reach Mumbai in the next couple of days, officials said six more carrying the fuel were among 22 Indian-flagged vessels currently on standby on the western side of Hormuz.While govt has maintained that there is no shortage of domestic LPG, panics tricken consumers trying to procure refills have led to a surge in bookings. It also said there were adequate crude oil and petroleum inventories and that all refineries were operating at high capacity. Officials from the ministry, the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board and city gas distribution companies met on Friday to review the status of consumers willing to activate their PNG connections or convert from LPG to piped gas. Govt is also encouraging commercial LPG consumers in major cities to opt for piped natural gas connections.