After a week of ‘government sources’ attempting to effectively gaslight the public on fuel security amid the war on Iran, the Centre has finally pulled the emergency cord of the Essential Commodities Act to ensure the uninterrupted flow of LPG to critical services.

Until last Friday, ‘government sources’ repeatedly told the media that India is in a “comfortable position” regarding its LPG stocks despite the raging conflict in West Asia, which has virtually blocked all shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.  

Speaking to ANI, ‘sources’ claimed on March 6, “Today, we have more energy sources than what is stuck in the Straits of Hormuz. We are in a comfortable position in Crude oil, Oil products and LPG. In terms of our current stock, we are in a comfortable position. We are going to ramp up our supplies from other parts of the geographies and make up for our supply crunch from the Straits of Hormuz.”

Then again on March 6, India Today reported via ‘government sources’ that “India has sufficient stocks of petrol, diesel, LPG (Liquefied petroleum gas) and natural gas... According to sources, consumers are unlikely to face any shortage of LPG or other fuels.” 

The same day, NDTV quoted a government source as saying, “Today, we have more energy sources available than the fuel currently stranded in the Strait of Hormuz. Our position in terms of crude oil, oil products, and LPG is very good. We are in a good position based on current reserves.”

Over the weekend, however, reality set in. On Monday, the Bangalore Hotels Association announced that the supply of commercial LPG cylinders has been suspended with immediate effect. Meanwhile, the Chennai Hotels Association also wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, requesting an uninterrupted supply of commercial LPG for the food industry and “consideration of LPG as an essential commodity”. 

On Tuesday, the Centre invoked the Essential Commodities Act to ensure uninterrupted supplies of domestic cooking gas.

Under a new tiered priority list, essential services such as piped cooking gas (PNG), CNG for transport, and LPG production will receive 100 percent of their typical supply. In contrast, most industries will have their supply capped at 80 percent of their recent average. Fertiliser plants will see a further reduction to 70 percent as the Centre reroutes limited resources to meet the general public's daily needs.

Meanwhile, oil marketing companies have raised the minimum waiting period for booking a domestic LPG cylinder refill from 21 days to 25 days, reportedly to curb hoarding and panic buying amid the ongoing crisis in West Asia.

Despite concerns raised by many about the effect of this conflict on India’s energy needs, the mainstream Indian media has consistently invoked ‘government sources’ to claim that all is well. Given today's announcements, it is clear that transparency remains an issue. Provisions like the ECA are typically reserved for emergencies, yet, despite the gravity of the situation, the media is left without an on-the-record voice. 

The more concerning question for the press is why, during a crisis of this scale, no government representative will step forward to provide the Indian public with an authoritative update on the status of our critical energy stocks.

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