Gandhinagar, March 13 The Gujarat government on Friday dismissed the Opposition's claims about a shortage of LPG and natural gas triggered by the conflict in West Asia, assuring the legislative assembly that the state has a stock of more than four lakh cylinders.
Congress MLAs, earlier in the day, staged a protest outside the assembly complex demanding that LPG cylinders be provided to homemakers at Rs 450.
Senior Congress MLA Shailesh Parmar raised the issue in the House, saying concerns have emerged among citizens regarding the availability of LPG, PNG, and CNG in the state amid the US-Israel-Iran war.
"Due to the war in the Gulf, a situation has arisen in the state regarding gas cylinders — whether it is LPG, PNG, or CNG. The war has just begun, and in the initial days itself, the government is giving assurances to people. Thousands of people are standing in queues outside gas agencies and other places," Parmar said.
During the discussion, Speaker Shankar Chaudhary reminded Parmar that matters related to gas supply fall under the jurisdiction of the Union government, but the Congress MLA maintained that issues related to gas agencies and supply concerns could still be discussed in the House.
Objecting to Parmar's remarks, Forest and Environment Minister Arjun Modhwadia stated that accurate information should go on record so that people are not misled about the availability of gas.
He said that a meeting was held with Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on the matter and asserted that there is no shortage of gas for ceramic industries in the Morbi region.
"Just yesterday, we were sitting with the chief minister and the MLA from Tankara (Morbi district). The CM himself stated that there is absolutely no shortage of gas for industries in Morbi right now. There is no shortage of any gas for the factories," Modhwadia said.
He cautioned that statements about shortages can create panic and lead to queues outside gas agencies.
"A war-like situation will definitely impact trade and businesses, but as soon as we start talking about the shortage of gas, queues start forming outside gas agencies from the very next day due to panic," he said.
Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Rushikesh Patel also raised an objection, saying the matter of LPG supply is primarily under the jurisdiction of the Centre.
The minister stated that LPG cylinders are supplied by four public sector oil marketing companies and cautioned that statements made in the assembly can have an impact across the state.
Later, Food and Civil Supplies Minister Ramanbhai Solanki gave a detailed clarification in the House and assured members that there is sufficient LPG stock available in the state.
Solanki said the state government and the department are continuously monitoring the situation in view of the developments in West Asia to ensure that people have adequate gas supply.
"As of today, we currently have a stock of approximately 4,16,504 LPG cylinders," he said, adding that of the total available cylinders, Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) has 1,66,128, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) has 1,50,009, and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) has 1,00,367.
Solanki assured that the government is ensuring adequate supply to households, institutions and hospitals.
"Practically speaking, apart from what is shown in the news, there are no actual complaints to be found anywhere," he said.
Earlier in the day, around a dozen Congress MLAs staged a protest on the steps of the assembly complex over the issue.
The legislators, including Amit Chavda and Tushar Chaudhary, gathered near the steps holding LPG cylinders and posters and shouted slogans.
The Congress leaders said the protest was organised to highlight the issue during the assembly session and demanded that LPG cylinders be provided to homemakers in Gujarat at Rs 450.