NEW DELHI: The govt’s campaign to discourage panic booking of LPG refills seems to have had an impact, with the number of domestic bookings declining from 88.8 lakh on Friday to 77 lakh on Saturday. The petroleum ministry said online bookings have also increased from 84% to 87%, while no dry-outs were reported at LPG distributors. Online booking had become difficult over the past few days as unusually high call volumes led the system to crash. This led to consumers lining up at gas depots and demanding immediate refills. Though the availability of LPG amid the conflict in West Asia continues to be a concern, forcing govt to reduce the delivery of commercial cylinders – largely used by small eateries, restaurants and the hospitality industry – to just 20%, the ministry said in a statement that arrangements were in place to maintain regular supply and distribution. “Steps have been taken to ensure stable availability of petroleum products and LPG across the country. LPG supply continues to be monitored in view of the prevailing geopolitical situation,” it said.

6 India-flagged ships on standby at Hormuz India imports nearly 60% of its LPG requirement and about 90% of it comes through the Strait of Hormuz, which has effectively been closed since the military conflict broke out in West Asia on Feb 28. While two ships carrying 97,200 metric tonnes of LPG are scheduled to reach Mumbai in the next couple of days, officials said six more carrying the fuel were among 22 Indian-flagged vessels currently on standby on the western side of Hormuz.While govt has maintained that there is no shortage of domestic LPG, panics tricken consumers trying to procure refills have led to a surge in bookings. It also said there were adequate crude oil and petroleum inventories and that all refineries were operating at high capacity. Officials from the ministry, the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board and city gas distribution companies met on Friday to review the status of consumers willing to activate their PNG connections or convert from LPG to piped gas. Govt is also encouraging commercial LPG consumers in major cities to opt for piped natural gas connections.

Thane: The Motor Accident Claims Tribunal (MACT) in Thane has awarded compensation of Rs 24.3 lakh to the family of a man killed in a road accident in West Bengal in 2018. In his order of March 11, details of which were made available on Sunday, MACT member KP Shrikhande asked the Assam-based owner of the offending vehicle and the firm that insured it to pay the amount to deceased Chandrabhan Danbahadur Singh’s wife, two minor children, and mother along with 9% interest from April 7, 2022. Singh was standing along the road when a motor tanker crushed him to death.

Thane: A freak fire broke out at an empty wedding venue in the early hours of Sunday in Diva, gutting the nearly 2,400 sq ft stage area. No injuries or casualties were reported. The incident was reported around 4.30 am at the lawn located in Mannat Compound on Khardi Road, hours after a function the previous evening ended and the guests left. “There was no one at the location except a few staff who spotted the blaze and alerted the fire brigade, which rushed to the spot and controlled the fire,” said Yasin Tadvi, of the regional disaster management cell.

Thiruvananthapuram: Jewellery worth over Rs 2 crore has allegedly been stolen from Kowdiar Palace, the official residence of the Travancore royal family. Based on a complaint filed by senior family member Asw-athi Thirunal Gowri Lakshmi Bai, Peroorkada police registered a case of theft. The ornaments, reportedly kept in an iron cupboard in the complainant’s bedroom, are suspected to have been stolen between Oct and Nov 2025. The family initially believed the jewellery had been misplaced. Among them were gold chains embedded with orange coral beads and gold pearls, anklets featuring the ‘pichipoo mottu’ design, and those studded with black and gold beads. Police suspect the theft has been carried out by persons familiar with the palace. They said videos of the interiors surfaced on social media, suggesting outsiders may ha-ve entered the premises.

Thane: A Lok Adalat in Thane on Saturday settled a motor accident claim, awarding compensation of Rs 2.1 crore to the family of a software engineer who died in a road accident on the Mumbai–Pune Expressway. The Lok Adalat also settled another accident claim, and awarded a compensation of Rs 1 crore to the family of an assistant security manager who was killed in a road accident in 2024, a court official said on Sunday. These were among the 83,424 cases settled, wherein settlements collectively worth Rs 187 crore were facilitated on Saturday. Omkar Joshi, a software engineer employed with a private automation company, was travelling with his colleague, when a speeding car rammed into their vehicle, leading to his death. The matter was settled through mediation, with the insurance company agreeing to pay the compensation to the victim’s legal heirs. In the second case, assistant security manager Anand Rajan Nadar was going on a motorcycle from his residence in Thane city to his workplace at Padgha in the Bhiwandi area. A speeding tempo coming out of a petrol pump crashed into his motorcycle. Nadar was rushed to a hospital in Bhiwandi where he was declared dead.Around 101 benches were constituted across the district, which took up over 5 lakh matters. Of these, 54,591 pre-litigation matters and 28,833 pending cases were disposed of. “Among the disputes resolved, electricity bill disputes accounted for the highest at over 2.6 lakh cases, while 3,966 bank recovery matters saw collective settlements worth more than Rs 62 crore. The MACT alone accounted for over Rs 35 crore in settlements,” said a statement issued by the TDLSA. (With inputs from PTI)

NEW DELHI: India today is in a far stronger position to handle disruptions in global energy markets than it was a decade ago, officials said on Sunday. While Strait of Hormuz remains an important chokepoint, India can reroute vess-els and shift strategy to other energy-exporting countries. In a world of increasingly uncertain supply chains, a wider and more diverse base of energy sources and partnerships has become an important safeguard for the country’s energy security. India used to import 55% of its crude from non-Hormuz routes before the military conflict began in West Asia a fortnight ago. Officials said the share has increased to 70%. India has also tapped additional countries to source natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas, and cargoes through non-Hormuz routes have also started arriving. India imports nearly half of its natural gas requirement and about 60% of LPG. “By expanding domestic production, managing the tr-ansition to new energy sources and diversifying supply sources, Modi govt has redu-ced the country’s vulnerability to external shocks to its energy needs,” said an official. Officials said govt pursued a policy of multi-alignment, enabling India to cultivate deeper relationships with multiple states to advance its interests. This diplomatic outreach has expanded India’s crude sourcing base from 27 countries a decade ago to more than 40 today. Another major factor reducing vulnerability to energy imports is the 20% ethanol blending programme, which displaces 44 million barrels of crude oil annually. Govt also backed the development of the electric vehicle industry. EV registrations in 2023-24 increased nearly tenfold compared with 2019-20. In 2025-26, EV sales reached 2.3 million units, accounting for about 8% of total vehicle registrations.

Thane: Actor Vishakha Subhedar and her son Abhinay, met Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde at his residence, on Sunday, and expressed their gratitude for facilitating Abhinay’s safe return from Kuwait. “The assistance extended to stranded residents was part of my responsibility to support citizens from Maharashtra who were in distress, whether in India or overseas,” Shinde said. Shinde and Shiv Sena functionaries took initiatives to assist 164 Indians stranded in Dubai to return safely amid tensions in the Gulf. Shinde also intervened to assist citizens from Maharashtra stranded in Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir following a terror attack there last year.

Mumbai: A mangrove and coastline clean-up drive at Carter Road on Saturday saw volunteers remove nearly 250 kg of marine litter, including plastic debris, bottles and discarded bean bags, from the shoreline.The drive, held on March 14, was organised by Environment Life Foundation with support from Jotun India Pvt Ltd and the Mangrove Foundation.More than 35 volunteers participated in the initiative. Among the waste collected were large quantities of thermocol balls scattered across the shore, which volunteers said took considerable time to gather due to their small size and wide spread.Representatives of the Mangrove Foundation appreciated the effort and reiterated their support for initiatives aimed at protecting mangroves and coastal ecosystems.Dharmesh Barai, founder of Environment Life Foundation, said that the ecological importance of mangroves is not fully realised even to this day. “Rapid development is taking place, but mangroves are often cut without understanding their ecological value. These silent soldiers protect our coastlines and biodiversity. While planting mangroves is important, the least we can do is avoid polluting our surroundings,” he said. Barai added that a large portion of waste reaching the sea travels through drains, rivers and creeks, urging authorities to act. “We request the newly elected Mayor to take bold steps to stop waste before it reaches creeks and eventually the ocean,” he said.Madhvi Marathe, marketing head at Jotun India Pvt Ltd, said the drive helped participants better understand the role of mangroves. “After learning about the importance of mangroves through this drive, we feel motivated to contribute towards protecting this precious ecosystem,” she said.