Cooking gas panic: Bengal CM asks state refineries to focus on local demand

Kolkata, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday directed state refineries to prioritise meeting local cooking gas demand and requested that LPG produced within the state not be sent outside for the time being.

“If our cooking gas cylinders go outside the state, we won’t be able to get them back during a crisis. We must first take care of our own households,” Banerjee told reporters after a meeting with representatives of oil and gas companies at ‘Soujanya’ in the southern part of the city’s Alipore area.

She specifically urged refineries in Haldia, Kolaghat, and Durgapur to focus on supplying cooking gas to households and essential services.

Chief Secretary Nandini Chakrabarti, DGP Piyush Pandey, secretaries from relevant departments, representatives from Indian Oil, Bharat Gas, and CNG companies were also present at the meeting.

The CM said panic among the public due to fears of a gas shortage has worsened the situation.

“Many people believe that if a cylinder runs out, they may have to wait up to 25 days for a new one. Such messages have triggered widespread panic,” she said.

Banerjee noted that normal bookings, which usually average around two lakh, have surged to six lakh due to panic, temporarily overwhelming gas companies’ servers.

She directed companies to restore servers immediately and prioritise households whose cylinders have run out or are about to.

The state government has also asked companies to maintain supply to hospitals, ICDS centres, mid-day meal kitchens, hostels, and small restaurants, and suggested continuing partial supply where full supply is not possible.

On curbing black marketing and hoarding, Banerjee warned, “If there is hoarding or black marketing anywhere, the government will not tolerate it. Gas cylinders will be seized if necessary and distributed among the common people.”

She added that a dashboard will track daily stock levels and supply, and nodal officers will be appointed in each district to monitor bookings and delivery.

A virtual review with all departments and district administrations is scheduled for Thursday to assess the situation and implement further measures if needed.

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.