Sufficient LPG Stock In Pune; Authorities Urge Citizens To Stay Calm

Pune: Amid long queues at petrol pumps and panic buying for liquified petroleum gas (LPG) across Pune and other parts of the state, official data shows that there is no shortage of domestic cooking gas in the district. When the tensions in West Asia began earlier this month, people started panic buying based on rumours on social media.

What began with domestic gas panic buying resulted in problems as the major oil companies had too much demand compared to their stock. However, now the supply and demand ratio has returned to normalcy, officials claimed on Friday.

Authorities have urged citizens not to believe rumours and to continue normal usage.

According to the LPG (Domestic) Supply Statement issued by the Pune District Supply Office on Friday, the district has sufficient stock to meet demand. The data covers three major oil companies: Hindustan Petroleum, Bharat Petroleum, and Indian Oil.

The report shows that Pune’s LPG bottling plants have a total storage capacity of 8,800 metric tonnes. As of Thursday (26th March), the closing stock stood at 6,577 metric tonnes. This indicates that nearly three-fourths of the storage capacity is filled, suggesting a stable supply position.

On the same day, a total of 88,885 new cylinder bookings were recorded across the district. In response, 97,582 cylinders were dispatched from bottling plants to local distributors. Out of these, 81,205 cylinders were successfully delivered to households.

Officials said that the number of cylinders dispatched was higher than the number of new bookings. This indicates that agencies are not only meeting daily demand but are also clearing pending orders, helping reduce waiting time for consumers.

Panic Persists In Pune

Among the three companies, Bharat Petroleum handled the highest number of deliveries on that day, followed by Hindustan Petroleum and Indian Oil.

The clarification comes at a time when large crowds were seen at petrol pumps due to fears of a fuel shortage. These fears were largely driven by social media rumours linked to global tensions affecting oil markets.

Authorities have clarified that India has adequate fuel reserves and that there is no disruption in supply. However, panic buying has led to temporary pressure on petrol pumps, causing some outlets to run out of their daily stock.

Officials also explained that while domestic LPG supply remains stable, some pressure has been observed in the availability of commercial LPG cylinders. This is due to prioritisation of household supplies in the current situation.

Citizens have been advised not to hoard fuel or believe unverified information. Officials said normal supply chains are functioning smoothly and there is no risk of a shortage in Pune.

Company-Wise Market Share (26th March 2026)

New Bookings Received

- HPCL: 35,826

- BPCL: 48,309

- IOCL: 4,750

- Total: 88,885

Cylinders Dispatched

- HPCL: 40,282

- BPCL: 52,105

- IOCL: 5,195

- Total: 97,582

Cylinders Delivered

- HPCL: 32,191

- BPCL: 44,748

- IOCL: 4,266