The Odisha government on Thursday countered allegations of a cooking gas scarcity fuelled by the West Asia crisis, asserting that the state maintains sufficient reserves of LPG, petrol, and diesel.
Following a high-level review, Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister K C Patra stated that the state holds adequate inventories of fuel and cooking gas.
Minister Patra stated that he has held extensive consultations with major fuel marketing companies, including Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL), Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL), Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL), Reliance and GAIL, to verify availability.
He called on the public to avoid panic-buying and instructed department officials to maintain strict vigilance to prevent any consumer distress.
“To ensure seamless monitoring, district collectors have been instructed to submit daily reports on the supply situation in their respective areas,” he said.
The minister further issued a stern warning against hoarding and black marketing, ordering immediate raids and legal proceedings against anyone found exploiting the situation.
Sanjay Kumar Singh, Principal Secretary of the Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Department, noted that the administration is tracking detailed data on daily fuel requirements versus available stock.
He added that officers have been asked to closely monitor supplies to sensitive government institutions, including SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack, as well as educational institutions, to ensure uninterrupted services.
Despite the assurances, the alleged shortage caused significant friction on Thursday, sparking protests both on the streets and within the state assembly.
The pre-lunch session of the Odisha Assembly was stalled as opposition members created a ruckus over the reported LPG scarcity, while long queues of citizens were observed at distribution points across the state.
The Odisha Congress accused the BJP-led government of failing to manage the state’s cooking gas supply chain effectively.
At a media briefing, Congress leader Sonali Sahoo criticised the administration, remarking that the government had forced citizens into the streets once during demonetization and was now doing so again for basic cooking fuel.
Sahoo said, “The BJP government had brought people to the streets during demonetisation, and now for cooking gas.”
