Supply stress eases, T pushes PNG expansion: Uttam

Hyderabad: Civil supplies and irrigation minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy on Saturday said Telangana has largely brought recent stress on petrol, diesel and LPG supplies under control, while committing to coordinate with the Centre to expand the Piped Natural Gas (PNG) network.Speaking at a virtual meeting convened by Union ministries of petroleum, natural gas, housing and urban affairs, Uttam said a brief phase of panic buying had strained supplies, but the situation has stabilised in many areas. "I followed the situation closely… we'll address issues in our cities. Distribution companies have briefed me," he said.He added that any hurdles in PNG expansion would be taken up with chief minister A Revanth Reddy. "We will have a meeting and sort out issues if any," he noted.On the ground, Uttam flagged a shortage of commercial LPG, expressing hope that increased central allocations would ease the situation soon.The minister also raised procurement-related concerns with Union minister Prahlad Joshi separately.Officials said rumours linked to West Asia tensions had triggered the mid-March surge, prompting reviews and action against black marketing. While domestic LPG remained largely stable, commercial supplies were hit.The meeting focused on ensuring uninterrupted civic services and accelerating PNG expansion, with Hyderabad's CGD operator Bhagyanagar Gas continuing to scale up CNG infrastructure.