An acute shortage of LPG cylinders has begun to affect operations at the Jagannath Temple in Digha, forcing authorities to drastically scale down the quantity of bhog prepared for devotees.
Temple sources said that earlier around 3,000 devotees were served bhog daily. However, due to the ongoing cooking gas shortage, the number has now been reduced to around 700. The temple’s trustee board stated that the restriction will remain in place until the supply situation improves. Despite the crisis, the daily ritual offering to Lord Jagannath continues without interruption. Radharaman Das, a member of the temple trustee board, said that the limited stock of LPG currently available at the temple is being used to prepare the deity’s bhog. He added that the temple authorities have also kept an alternative arrangement ready. “If the gas shortage worsens, we will switch to cooking on wood-fired ovens so that the daily bhog offered to the deity continues without disruption,” he said.
The preparation of prasad for general devotees has been significantly curtailed for the time being due to the shortage. The LPG crisis has also affected the tourism sector in Digha and several other places in Bengal. Several hotel owners and businessmen in the popular seaside destination said they are facing immense difficulties as the prices of commercial LPG cylinders have risen sharply, increasing operational costs during the tourist season. Residents of several district also are facing severe hardship due to an acute shortage of cooking gas, prompting the district police and civil administration to hold an urgent meeting with gas dealers, distributors and officials of bottling plants to assess the situation and prevent any untoward incident.
According to administrative sources, a meeting was convened in several districts to take stock of the availability of LPG cylinders in the district and to understand the reasons behind the sudden disruption in supply. Officials asked dealers to provide details of the number of cylinders currently in stock at their respective outlets. The dealers reportedly informed the administration that they do not have any stock of cylinders at present. They said that gas-laden trucks have not entered the district for the past two days, leading to a complete disruption in supply. As a result, both domestic and commercial consumers are struggling to obtain LPG cylinders.
The situation has caused widespread inconvenience to residents as well as business establishments that depend heavily on LPG for daily operations. Several commercial establishments, including eateries and small food outlets, have been particularly affected due to the non-availability of commercial gas cylinders.
Meanwhile, consumers of several districts alleged that they are unable to even place booking requests due to server-related problems in the online booking system. Many residents claimed that the booking process has been disrupted for the past few days, further aggravating the crisis. Allegations of black marketing of LPG cylinders have also surfaced in certain areas of the districts, with some consumers claiming that cylinders are being sold at prices higher than the official rates. In a similar complaint, from Belghoria, a senior police official said that the police are closely monitoring the situation. “If we receive any specific complaint regarding black marketing of LPG cylinders, strict action will be taken against those involved,” he said.
He added that gas dealers have been instructed to remain in constant contact with the district administration and the police so that the situation can be managed effectively. Police officials have also been asked to keep a close watch in their respective areas to ensure that no untoward situation arises due to the shortage. The administration hopes that normal supply will resume once LPG trucks start arriving in the district again.