LPG cylinder crisis hits Islampur ahead of Durga Puja festivities

Raiganj: As the festive season of Durga Puja approaches, residents of Islampur in North Dinajpur district are grappling with an acute shortage of LPG cylinders. Households relying on Indane LPG services are facing delays of up to a fortnight, leaving them struggling to manage basic cooking needs. In the absence of a reliable alternative, many have turned to home delivery meal services, adding to their expenses.

Residents, frustrated by the delay, have begun voicing their concerns directly to the local LPG distributors. Shankar Bhattacharjee, a resident of Islampur, shared his experience: “We booked an LPG cylinder on September 25, but as of today, we still haven’t received it. After visiting the distributor, we were assured the cylinder would arrive soon. Meanwhile, we’ve had no choice but to buy food from delivery services, which has been an added burden.”

Another resident, Kundan Chaurasia from Shanti Colony, faced an even more frustrating situation. “We booked our LPG nearly two weeks ago, but recently received a message that the order was canceled. We had to rebook the cylinder, adding to the delay.”

Indane LPG dealer Santosh Basu of Islampur acknowledged the issue, explaining, “The supply of LPG cylinders is currently falling short of customer demand.

This is causing delays in deliveries. We expect the supply situation to improve in the near future.” However, when approached for comment, Rahan Kumar, Field Officer of Sales for Indane, declined to comment on the crisis. As the Durga Puja festivities draw near, residents are hoping for a quick resolution to the shortage, as many face difficulties preparing for the celebrations without access to essential cooking fuel.