Trinath & Navneet
Mayabunder, Nov 02: What began as a peaceful protest by women residents of Rest Camp over the prolonged shortage of LPG cylinders ended in a tense late-night development, with a police team from PS Mayabunder reportedly forcefully removing the protesting women from the spot at around 9.30 pm and allowing the LPG truck to proceed. The action left PRI members and members of the general public deeply disappointed, with many questioning the use of force against women who had been peacefully demanding two LPG cylinders per household after nearly four months of irregular supply, instead of making further efforts to resolve their grievances through dialogue.
Earlier in the day, women residents of the Rest Camp area staged a protest over irregular LPG supply, blocking a LPG-laden truck in front of the Rest Camp Police Outpost and demanding two LPG cylinders for every household instead of one. The protest, which started during the daytime, continued for several hours, with the agitators refusing to withdraw their demand despite intervention by the administration.
The protesting women said that an LPG vehicle had reached their area after nearly four months, but the quantity brought was insufficient to meet the needs of local residents. With Diwali approaching on Sunday, families were particularly concerned about running out of cooking gas during the festival, when additional cooking is required.
Speaking on the issue, Zilla Parishad Member of Pahalgaon Constituency, Mrs. Basanti, said that the vehicle had arrived after four months and even then had brought only a limited quantity of cylinders. She pointed out that the same vehicle had reportedly distributed cylinders at Building Ground and Limbo Dera before reaching Rest Camp, leaving local residents concerned that the available stock would not be sufficient for everyone.
She said that the public had made only one demand: two cylinders per household, considering the prolonged gap in supply. Many families, she explained, had been borrowing LPG cylinders from others to manage their daily cooking requirements. If they accepted only one cylinder now, they would first have to return the borrowed cylinder, leaving them without sufficient gas for their own household needs.
Mrs. Basanti further expressed dissatisfaction over the assurance given by the Assistant Commissioner that residents could collect one cylinder each and would receive another after 25 days. She questioned the reliability of such assurances, stating that residents had repeatedly been given similar commitments, but supplies often arrived only after another three to four months.
She also raised concerns over the annual LPG allocation, stating that although nine cylinders are supposed to be issued to a household in a year, residents of the Rest Camp area effectively manage with only around three cylinders annually. She questioned where the remaining allocated cylinders were going and demanded accountability over the distribution system.
The Zilla Parishad Member said that several families were now facing serious difficulties, with women having to collect firewood from hilly and forest areas and cook on traditional firewood stoves. Preparing meals for children and arranging school tiffins had become particularly challenging. She added that the people had become extremely frustrated and were determined to continue their protest until a satisfactory solution was provided.
Earlier, PRI members had also reportedly spoken to the Assistant Commissioner, North and Middle Andaman headquarters, regarding the issue. However, the assurance that another LPG cylinder could be provided after approximately 15 days failed to satisfy the protesting women, who said that similar promises had repeatedly remained unfulfilled.
As the protest continued, Additional District Magistrate Mr. C. Krishna Chaitanya contacted the women leaders and residents of the area through a video call and attempted to persuade them to call off their agitation. However, the protesters did not agree with the ADM’s appeal and remained firm on their demand for two cylinders per household.
The women maintained that they would not allow the LPG vehicle to proceed until their demand was addressed. However, at around 9.30 pm, the police team from PS Mayabunder reportedly removed the protesting women from the spot and allowed the LPG truck to move. The development drew strong disappointment from PRI members and members of the general public, who expressed concern over the manner in which the situation was handled. They questioned why force had to be used against women raising concerns over an essential household requirement, particularly when the administration could have continued efforts to find an amicable solution to the issue. The incident has also raised questions among residents over the handling of public grievances and the need for a more effective mechanism to address the recurring LPG supply crisis in the area.
