Bhubaneswar: In a proactive move to address public apprehensions over cooking gas (LPG) availability triggered by global supply disruptions, Chief Secretary Anu Garg today chaired a high-level virtual meeting with secretaries of concerned departments and all district collectors at Lok Seva Bhawan.
The meeting focused on ensuring seamless supply of LPG, petrol, and diesel across the state, preventing any law and order issues arising from panic buying or hoarding. The Chief Secretary informed participants that detailed discussions had already taken place with oil marketing companies (OMCs), who confirmed no current shortages in cooking gas supply for domestic consumers. However, she highlighted potential risks of public panic leading to law and order challenges.
“Supply of cooking gas to our consumers remains a top priority,” Garg emphasized, directing special attention to essential sectors including hospitals, school midday meal programs, hostels, Anganwadi centres, orphanages, food banks, and other government-run institutions.
To safeguard distribution, the Chief Secretary instructed the police administration to ensure unhindered movement of LPG tankers from depots to retail outlets and prevent any obstructions. Strict law and order arrangements were mandated for smooth operations at distribution points.
Key directives included forming a state-level monitoring committee comprising secretaries from relevant departments, and district-level committees headed by District Collectors, along with Security Officers, Food Inspectors, and District Supply Officers. Each district has been asked to establish a dedicated control room for real-time monitoring and reporting.
Garg stressed zero tolerance for black marketing or excess purchases, urging vigilant supervision to ensure cylinders reach genuine domestic users. Oil companies were advised to keep LPG bottling plants, retail outlets, and distribution networks fully operational without disruptions. District Collectors were directed to convene regular local meetings, disseminate accurate updates to the public, and counter misinformation to avoid unnecessary queues or hoarding.
The meeting saw participation from senior officials including Additional Chief Secretary (Home, Industries, Information & Public Relations) Hemant Sharma, Additional Chief Secretary (Power & IT) Vishal Kumar Dev, Principal Secretary (Food Supplies & Consumer Welfare) Sanjay Kumar Singh, and other department heads.
