New Delhi, March 10 -- As the West Asia Conflict continues to put pressure on fuel supplies, the Union Government on Tuesday invoked the Essential Commodities Act (EC Act ) to ensure uninterrupted supply of domestic cooking gas, directing refineries and petrochemical units to maximise production of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and divert key hydrocarbon streams to the LPG pool.

According to the order, the supply of natural gas to the certain sectors shall be treated as priority allocation and shall be maintained subject to operational availability to hundred per cent. of their average past six-month average gas consumption. These sectors include: Domestic Piped Natural Gas supply; Compressed Natural Gas for transport; LPG production inc...