Guwahati : Local refineries in Assam currently have the capacity to meet only about 30 per cent of the state’s demand for liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), Chief Secretary Ravi Kota said, adding that the government has stepped up monitoring to ensure uninterrupted supply.

In a post on X on Wednesday, Kota said the state’s four refineries have been asked to ramp up production to avoid any disruption in the supply of cooking gas to consumers.

The issue was also reviewed during a video conference chaired by Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan, which was attended by chief secretaries and directors general of police from states and Union territories to assess the availability of LPG and diesel across the country.

According to Kota, the local refineries are expected to meet only around 30 per cent of Assam’s LPG requirement. The refineries include three operated by Indian Oil Corporation at Digboi, Guwahati and Bongaigaon, and another run by Numaligarh Refinery Limited at Numaligarh.

To closely monitor the situation, the state government has constituted a high-powered committee headed by the chief secretary with representatives from relevant departments to regularly review the fuel supply position. Kota also said a dedicated media monitoring committee has been set up to track rumours, misinformation and misleading reports that could create panic among consumers.

He added that enforcement agencies have been directed to take strict action against individuals or entities spreading false information regarding fuel availability. Meanwhile, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said there is no crisis of LPG cylinders in the state and that the government is closely monitoring the situation.

Speaking to reporters, Sarma said the review was undertaken in the backdrop of the ongoing geopolitical tensions in West Asia. He noted that India procures gas from nearly 40 countries and that Russia has also begun supplying oil and gas to India.

Expressing confidence that there would be no shortage of LPG, Sarma recalled how the central government had managed oxygen supplies during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Earlier, Indian Oil Corporation, which supplies nearly 85 per cent of LPG cylinders in the Northeast, said it has sufficient stock to meet the region’s demand despite concerns arising from the global situation. A senior IOC official said all nine bottling plants in the Northeast are operating at maximum capacity and distributing cylinders as per government directives.

Officials said the Northeast requires around 1.91 lakh domestic LPG cylinders of 14.2 kg every day, of which about 1.34 lakh cylinders are consumed in Assam alone. In the commercial segment of 19-kg cylinders, the region requires around 5,777 units daily, including about 4,112 units in Assam, they added.