Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], March 28 : Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the measures taken by the State Government to supply petrol, diesel and LPG gas smoothly in the crisis.
The Chief Minister said that the government constituted a committee headed by Chief Secretary K Ramakrishna Rao to review the supply of petrol, diesel and gas and monitor the situation continuously.
The CM attended the virtual video conference held in the evening by the Prime Minister with the Chief Ministers of all states to review the prevailing situation in the supply of fuels and LPG amidst the West Asia crisis.
During the meeting, CM Revanth Reddy brought several key issues to the Prime Minister's attention, including that the official Committee was continuously reviewing the situation from the Command Control Centre located in Hyderabad and the committees constituted with Nodal Officers in all 33 districts to oversee gas supply, petrol and diesel sales and to curb black marketing.
The Chief Minister briefed Modi about the measures taken to supply commercial gas cylinders to hospitals, schools, orphanages, and old-age homes on a priority basis. Referring to the availability of fuels, the CM said that the officials are continuously monitoring stock levels available at every filling station as well as the daily consumption rates. The average daily consumption of petrol and diesel in Telangana stands at 36,189 kiloliters under normal circumstances, and the state currently holds reserves of 188,210 kiloliters.
Further, CM Revanth Reddy has informed that legal action is being initiated against individuals posting content on social media spreading misinformation and creating panic regarding shortages of petrol, diesel, or gas.
Emphasising that the promotion of EV vehicles would help tide over the fuel crisis in the coming days, the Chief Minister said that Telangana was actively working to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and gas and encouraging people to shift to EV vehicles. As part of this initiative, the CM said that the state granted a 100 per cent exemption on road tax and registration fees for EVs in Telangana.
CM Revanth Reddy also brought to the attention of the Prime Minister the state's extensive efforts to promote EV manufacturing and foster a robust battery ecosystem.
The process of converting over 1.20 lakh petrol and diesel-run auto-rickshaws in Hyderabad city into Electric Vehicles (EVs) through retrofitting, purchase of EV buses for TGSRTC was also discussed in the meeting. State Chief Secretary K Ramakrishna Rao and CM's Principal Secretary, V. Seshadri, were also present.