Kolkata, March 12 (IANS) The West Bengal government on Thursday announced a standard operating procedure (SOP) to guide coordinated monitoring, stabilise supplies and facilitate immediate redressal of public grievances regarding LPG availability in the state amid the ongoing Gulf crisis.

According to a statement issued by the state Information and Cultural Affairs Department on Thursday evening, a 24×7 state LPG control room will be set up at the state secretariat Nabanna, which will 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,” the statement read.

The control room will have two dedicated helpline numbers, which will also operate on a 24×7 basis.

At the same time, a state-level committee for LPG crisis monitoring, chaired by Chief Secretary Nandini Chakraborty, will review the supply situation regularly and provide policy guidance for stabilising LPG availability across sectors.

Meanwhile, Kolkata Police have stepped up vigil across the city to prevent black marketing of cooking gas amid concerns over possible supply disruptions due to tensions in West Asia, a senior police officer said on Thursday.

All police stations in the city have been asked to maintain strict vigilance and monitor the movement and distribution of LPG cylinders.

The police have also decided to adopt alternative cooking arrangements, such as induction cookers and microwave ovens, in police barracks to deal with any potential shortage of commercial cooking gas.

The decision by the city police headquarters at Lalbazar came a day after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee held an emergency meeting with LPG dealers to review the supply situation in the state.

On Wednesday, the Chief Minister also blamed the Union government for the crisis and said she could take out a march in the city next Monday to protest the increase in gas prices.

She said the situation has arisen due to the decision of the Union Petroleum Ministry to increase the booking gap for a gas cylinder to 25 days.

–IANS

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