Opposition Raises Fuel Shortage, Long Queues Amid West Asia Conflict at Parliamentary Panel Meet

Following the meeting, JD(U) MP Sanjay Kumar Jha, who heads the committee, said that the government is doing a ‘commendable job’.

The Wire Staff

Following the meeting, JD(U) MP Sanjay Kumar Jha, who heads the committee, said that the government is doing a ‘commendable job’.

opposition raises fuel shortage long queues amid west asia conflict at parliamentary panel meet

Consumers refuel their vehicles at a petrol pump, in Nadia, West Bengal. Photo: PTI

New Delhi: Amid rising fuel prices with the ongoing conflict in West Asia, Oil ministry officials informed a parliamentary standing committee on Monday (May 26) that the country had crude oil stocks for the next 78 days.

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture, met on Monday to discuss the impact of the crisis. Officials told the committee that the government had made efforts to ensure there is no shortage, Press Trust of India reported citing sources.

The report said that opposition members raised "long queues" and "rationing" of petrol and diesel at petrol pumps in some parts of the country and also sought to know the measures being taken by the government.

Senior officials from key ministries – including External Affairs, Petroleum & Natural Gas, Finance, Commerce, Fertilisers, and Ports, Shipping & Waterways – participated in the discussions with the committee.

Shipping ministry officials said that of the 37 Indian ships, 13 are still stuck in the Strait of Hormuz. Officials from the fertiliser ministry have said there is no shortage of fertilisers in the country.

Following the meeting, JD(U) MP Sanjay Kumar Jha, who heads the committee, said that the meeting focused on the implications of the crisis on India’s maritime trade, energy security, shipping infrastructure, and the safety of Indian seafarers, highlighting the need for coordinated preparedness amid disruptions in critical global trade corridors.

Prior to the meeting, Jha has said that the problems facing the country are not “created by India.” “It's a global problem, not a problem created by India. It's a concern for the entire world, and that's why this meeting is called,” he said.

After the meeting, he said that officials are addressing the concerns arising out of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

“While the conflict is taking place elsewhere, we are confronting a completely new set of problems. Regarding all the initiatives undertaken by the government, specifically, representatives from the Ministry of Shipping visited today to address issues concerning seafarers from the Strait of Hormuz, and all relevant facts were presented,” he said.

“Officials from other ministries, such as Petroleum and Fertilisers, were also present to discuss the implications for the upcoming sowing season...Since it is currently unclear how long this situation will persist, the focus is on how to formulate effective long-term planning...I believe the government is doing a very commendable job,” Jha added.

This article went live on May twenty-sixth, two thousand twenty six, at fifty minutes past two in the afternoon.

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