Patna: Patna has faced a sustained LPG crisis for over 10 days following the conflict in West Asia. Gas agency owners said multiple members of a household often hold separate subscriptions. They added that many people who had not taken cylinders for several years have now become active and started booking cylinders, stocking up and hoarding them. This has increased demand and created a backlog in supply and delivery. A rise in demand has also been noted due to Chaiti Chhath, Navaratra and Eid.A gas agency owner from Kankarbagh said on condition of anonymity, “At the beginning of the crisis, bookings multiplied by almost four times and over 1,000 bookings would come on a single day.” He added that as manpower and the number of delivery vehicles were limited, there was a mismatch between bookings and deliveries, which led to a backlog and panic among residents.
The agency owner added that to cope with the demand, delivery personnel worked overtime for almost a week. Instead of finishing duty by 5pm, they worked till 8pm to clear the delivery log. Nearly 400 cylinders were delivered daily, above the normal capacity. Due to the extended work hours of delivery staff, the backlog has now reduced and the situation is gradually returning to normal. On Thursday, he said bookings had fallen to around 300 per day and deliveries to 299. The functioning of agencies depends on the number of subscribers and consumers. While small and medium agencies have brought the situation under control, larger agencies continue to face backlogs and may require more time to stabilise operations.Chief secretary Pratyaya Amrit chaired a meeting on Thursday to review the distribution of gas cylinders in the state. Food and consumer protection department secretary Abhay Singh presented data on the current supply status and existing backlogs. The meeting also reviewed suggestions from district magistrates to address delivery delays.The CS directed administrative and police officials to monitor the distribution process, keep district control rooms active to address public grievances, hold daily review meetings at 3 pm to update regional supply levels and conduct intensive raids in bordering districts to prevent hoarding and black market sales.Patna DM Thiyagarajan S M and SSP Kartikeya K Sharma also held a meeting with administrative and police officials on Thursday to ensure smooth supply of domestic LPG. They directed immediate arrest of individuals involved in black marketing, hoarding or overpricing. Officials said 136 gas agencies currently serve 16,65,360 consumers and that sufficient stock is available to meet demand. The administration warned that negligence or irregularities in the supply chain will invite prosecution under the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA). Raid teams are coordinating with oil marketing companies to ensure direct home delivery of refills and prevent crowding at agencies.The state govt has advised the public to ignore unofficial reports regarding gas availability and maintained that the supply situation remains under control.
