National oil marketing companies have come out on Sunday allaying the fears of consumers about product shortages, saying there is absolutely no shortage of any fuel, especially cooking gas, which is being supplied to customers at their doorsteps.

On average, the daily supply of cooking gas has gone up by at least 35-40 per cent since the lockdown, in spite of working with minimal staff, the companies said.

The collective assurance of uninterrupted supplies of all oil products, especially LPG cylinders, by Indian Oil, BPCL and HPCL, come amidst panic booking of cooking gas by consumers since the national lockdown imposed to contain the spread of Covid-19 pandemic.

This, coupled with staff shortage, has led to some delays in the initial days of the lockdown but now it has been normalised, they added.Talking to PTI in Mumbai on Su shortage of any oil products at all. All the more let me assure that there is absolutely no shortage of LPG at all. In fact, our LPG plants are working at over capacity to meet any spike in demand. I request all not to engage in panic booking of cooking gas,” Surana said.

Explaining how HPCL has augmented LPG supplies, he said at the national level the daily supply has gone from 12 lakh cylinders to 15 lakh a day for his company.

In Mumbai, HPCL has supplied 56 per cent more cylinders on Saturday, from 34,000 to 51,000, while in Pune the spike in supplies is 54 per cent, he added. Surana also said, HPCL has equipped all its delivery boys with masks, sanitisers and also trained them in social distancing. Accordingly, they have been asked not to carry cylinders to individual homes but to the society gates as there are restrictions on entry for outsiders at many societies.