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India \u200bhas asked liquefied petroleum gas consumers to avoid panic buying of LPG \u200ccylinders and shift to piped natural gas where possible, oil ministry official Sujata Sharma said on Friday.<\/strong><\/p>\n India\u2019s crude oil, LPG, and liquefied natural gas supplies have been disrupted due to global shipping constraints after the U.S.-Israeli \u200bwar with Iran halted traffic through the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n \u201cLPG \u200bis an issue of concern,\u201d said Sharma, a joint secretary in the \u2060federal oil ministry, adding the government is cracking down on black marketing and hoarding of \u200bLPG cylinders in coordination with states.<\/p>\n About 333 million households use LPG cylinders, and more than \u200b150 million get gas supplies through pipelines. Sharma said about six million LPG-consuming households could easily switch to piped gas use.<\/p>\n \u201cWe request them to avail piped gas connection to ease pressure on LPG,\u201d she \u200bsaid.<\/p>\n She also said that commercial and industrial consumers in major urban cities facing LPG shortages \u200bshould contact their local city gas distribution company to arrange a piped gas connection.<\/p>\n PANIC BUYING<\/p>\n India consumed 33.15 \u200cmillion \u2060metric tons of cooking gas last year, with imports accounting for about 60% of demand. About 90% of those imports came from the Middle East.<\/p>\n Panic buying had pushed daily LPG booking requests to about 7.6 million as of Thursday from around 5.5 million on March \u200b1, with most bookings \u200bmade online, Sharma said.<\/p>\n India \u2060has asked refiners to boost LPG production. Domestic LPG production has risen by 30% since March 5, she said.<\/p>\n The government has prioritised \u200bLPG supplies for households, followed by hospitals and educational institutions, while \u200ballowing commercial \u2060users to use alternative fuels such as biomass, coal and fuel oil.<\/p>\n India has asked Coal India, the country\u2019s top coal producer, to make coal available to small and medium enterprises and \u2060the hospitality \u200bsector, including restaurants and hotels, Sharma said.<\/p>\n To overcome the \u200bshortage, Indian ports are giving priority berthing to LPG carriers, said Rajesh Kumar Sinha, special secretary at the ministry \u200bof shipping.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n