BHUBANESWAR: Amid growing public concern over cooking gas shortage, the government on Thursday appealed citizens not to panic, assuring that there is sufficient stock of LPG and other fuels in the state.
The government has also intensified surveillance to prevent hoarding and black marketing of LPG cylinders and warned that strict legal action will be taken against anyone involved in hoarding or illegal sale of LPG. Departmental teams have been deployed to conduct inspections and raids wherever necessary, said Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare minister Krushna Chandra Patra following a high-level review meeting at Lok Seva Bhawan.
The meeting reviewed the availability and supply chain of LPG, petrol and diesel across the state in view of reports of panic buying and long queues at distribution points. Senior officials of the department and representatives from major oil marketing companies (OMCs) including Indian Oil Corporation, Bharat Petroleum, Hindustan Petroleum, Reliance Industries and GAIL participated in the meeting along with principal secretary Sanjay Kumar Singh and Odisha State Civil Supplies Corporation managing director K Sudarshan Chakraborty.
The minister said the state has adequate stock of LPG cylinders as well as petrol and diesel and appealed the public not to rush to distributors out of fear. “The government is closely monitoring the situation. There is no shortage of cooking gas or fuel in the state. People should not panic or create unnecessary demand,” Patra said.
He said the department has reviewed the entire supply chain, from bottling plants to LPG distributors and retail outlets, to ensure that the distribution system functions smoothly. Officials have been directed to remain vigilant so that consumers do not face any inconvenience. To strengthen monitoring, district administrations have been asked to submit daily reports on LPG and fuel supply in their respective areas.
Singh said the department is maintaining detailed data on the daily requirement and availability of LPG and other fuels across districts. Special attention is also being given to ensure uninterrupted supply to critical institutions such as SCB medical college and hospital in Cuttack and educational institutions to ensure uninterrupted supply.
He further said that adequate steps are being taken to stabilise public confidence and ensure that domestic consumers do not face disruption in their daily lives.
