As the conflict in West Asia following the attack on Iran has triggered a fuel crisis, especially the rationing of LPG distribution, in the country, the West Bengal government on Thursday formed a high-level team to monitor the situation.
At a meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, it was decided to issue an SOP “to guide coordinated monitoring, stabilise supplies, and facilitate immediate redressal of public grievances”.
The government said that the SOP aimed to ensure continuity of critical public services such as cooked mid-day meals in schools, ICDS services, hospital diets, and essential domestic consumption.
The government also decided to set up a 24X7 state LPG Control Room at Nabanna to serve as the central coordination and monitoring hub.
“The Control Room will track LPG availability, stock position, and movement across the state and coordinate with districts, distributors, and Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) to address bottlenecks. OMCs may depute nodal officers to facilitate real- time information sharing and coordination,” the government said and shared the control room numbers (1070/ 033-2214-3526 and 8697981070).
The monitoring team, led by the chief secretary, will comprise senior officials from several departments, including Home, Transport, School Education, Disaster Management & Relief, Health & Family Welfare, Industry, Commerce & Enterprises, and Food & Civil Supplies. The committee will also include the Director General of Police, ADG (Law & Order), Kolkata Police Commissioner, and ADG (Enforcement Branch) and ADG (IB).
“The committee will review the LPG supply situation regularly and provide policy guidance for stabilizing LPG availability across sectors. It will also review the availability of other fuels such as CNGs, diesel, petrol, and kerosene to prevent supply bottlenecks,” a statement issued by the government read.
The government said it has asked OMCs, namely Indian Oil, HPCL, and BPCL, to ensure continued LPG supply to domestic consumers in both urban and rural areas, while safeguarding availability for essential institutions.
“Priority sectors may include: domestic households, hospitals and healthcare institutions, anganwadis and ICDS centres, schools and colleges, and Government hostels and homes,” the government said, adding institutions will be advised to adopt fuel-saving practices where feasible.
The government also asked OMCs to give booking preference to single-cylinder consumers for equitable domestic access and deployment of additional delivery vehicles, increased dispatch frequency from bottling plants, and creation of green corridors for LPG movement, among others.
“Police assistance will be provided for smooth transportation and security at key facilities,” it added.
The government also plans to set up a state-level digital dashboard to provide real-time visibility of LPG and fuel supply across the state. “The dashboard may include fuel-wise stock levels, district-wise availability, allocation and supply status, movement and dispatch tracking,” it added.
According to the government, district LPG monitoring committees would also be constituted under the District Magistrate to oversee local supply conditions. “These committees will monitor distributor stocks, coordinate with OMC representatives, and respond to local supply concerns. Authorities may undertake inspections to prevent diversion of domestic LPG cylinders, hoarding, illegal storage, black marketing, and overpricing. Appropriate action under applicable laws and control orders may be initiated in case of violation,” the government release stated.
The government also said that the availability of kerosene through the public distribution system (PDS) and open market channels may be enhanced where necessary, particularly in rural areas.
“As CNG supply remains stable, the Transport sector may be encouraged to shift to CNG wherever feasible to reduce pressure on LPG demand. Transport unions may also be sensitized to maintain reasonable fares during periods of supply stress,” it added.
The government will hold regular public communication to discourage panic booking and hoarding. “LPG booking systems and grievance redressal mechanisms should remain operational. Facilitation measures may include 24×7 LPG booking helplines and technical support to address booking disruptions.
Earlier in the day, Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim expressed deep concern over the impact of gas supply on social welfare schemes: “Definitely, we are in a crisis with the mid-day-meal. We are not allotted the big cylinders… the MAA Canteen is also affected.”
Meanwhile, Kolkata Police launched a crackdown on alleged black marketing of LPG cylinders, amid supply constraint of cooking gas affecting several parts of West Bengal, a senior officer said. The police action comes after the CM directed the authorities to ensure strict monitoring to prevent black marketing of cooking gas.
“Our priority is to ensure that no artificial shortage of LPG is created in Kolkata,” a police officer said.