CM Mamata Banerjee opens control room, helplines to tide over LPG crisis in West Bengal

KOLKATA: Amid the escalating LPG crisis in Bengal, the state govt and police on Thursday released dedicated emergency numbers — 033-495066101, 03335026214, and 03324874400 — to assist the public. CM Mamata Banerjee also inaugurated a 24-hour an LPG control room at Nabanna (1070 / 03322143526 and 8697981070). This facility will track LPG stock while coordinating with oil companies, district administrations, and distributors to resolve bottlenecks.

Nabanna on Thursday issued a 10-point advisory, where priority was given to household kitchens, midday meals and hospital services. Commercial gas supply to hotels and restaurants was restricted, and a 12-member monitoring committee was formed.

It was decided that steps will be taken to increase kerosene availability in the PDS and the open market. The government is encouraging a shift towards alternative fuels like CNG to reduce LPG demand, while transport unions have been asked to maintain reasonable fares during the supply crunch. Special teams will be deployed to districts to prevent black marketing.

The SOP follows coordination meetings led by the CM over the past 48 hours. A crisis monitoring committee, chaired by chief secretary Nandini Chakravorty, will include senior officials from the health, transport, and education departments, alongside the DGP, police commissioner, and the heads of the Intelligence and enforcement branches. The committee will review the availability of LPG, petrol, diesel, and kerosene.

Under the new protocol, Indian Oil, HPCL, and BPCL were advised to prioritise domestic consumers and essential institutions.

The SOP introduces measures for equitable access, such as booking preferences for single-cylinder consumers and the regulation of commercial LPG supply during scarcity to protect critical sectors like ICDS services and hospital diets. Police will facilitate green corridors to ensure the movement of LPG tankers, which are now classified as essential transport vehicles.

"A meeting was held on Wednesday with oil marketing companies and administrators to review stocks," the CM said. "We requested them not to send gas refined in Haldia, Kalyani, and Durgapur outside the state until the situation normalises. We also requested that those with a single cylinder who ran out of gas be provided with a replacement immediately."