West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari exempted essential services from the ban imposed on diesel supply in containers, saying that individuals or oragnisers associated with sectors like healthcare, agriculture, food supply, public services, and tea gardens can now purchase and carry the fuel in containers or barrels.
The Chief Minister also announced that the maximum daily limit which had been fixed for providing fuel to such customers has also been relaxed. Moreover, only presenting “basic identification documents” at the pumps would suffice, he said.
“We have directed the major oil companies to completely exempt vital sectors such as healthcare, agriculture, food supply, public services, and tea gardens from the fuel restriction regulations,” Adkikari said in a post on X on Sunday.
আমাদের সরকার সাধারণ জনগণের দৈনন্দিন জীবন, জরুরি পরিষেবা এবং রাজ্যের অর্থনীতি কোনো বাধা ছাড়াই যেনো সুচারুভাবে এগোতে থাকে তা নিশ্চিত করতে সর্বদা বদ্ধপরিকর।
সাম্প্রতিক কন্টেইনারে (পাত্রে) ডিজেল সরবরাহ করার ক্ষেত্রে নিষেধাজ্ঞা জারি করা হয়েছিল, যার ফলে আমাদের পরিশ্রমী কৃষক ভাইরা,… pic.twitter.com/qisKWU7CgR
— Suvendu Adhikari (@SuvenduWB) June 28, 2026
“Our government is always committed to ensuring that the daily lives of ordinary people, emergency services, and the state’s economy continue to progress smoothly without any hindrance,” he assured.
Adhikari acknowledged that the ban had put farmers, hospitals, and emergency service-providing organisations in extreme distress.
While retail outlet dealers and pump operators have been directed to ensure hassle-free and smooth fuel supply to these essential sectors, consumers have been asked to institutional identification, trade registration, land records, or official requisitions to facilitate quick verification at the pumps.
The Chief Minister’s directive comes after various departments, industry associations and public utility bodies highlighted the severe distress caused to their sectors due to the ban. They shared that the stationary nature of crucial machinery like backup generators, irrigation pumps, processing plants, and estate vehicles, depend entirely on procuring diesel from local retail outlets in containers.