Navneet & Vikramaditya
Sri Vijaya Puram, Nov 03: Zilla Parishad Member from Pahargaon, Mrs. Basanti Devi, has expressed serious concern over the irregular supply of domestic LPG cylinders in the Rest Camp area, stating that the demand by women for two cylinders was entirely justified after a prolonged gap of three to four months. She said that when people are not receiving regular LPG supplies and have to wait several months for cylinders, it is the responsibility of the administration to understand their difficulties and address their genuine demands.
She informed that the last LPG supply to the Rest Camp area was made on July 31, while the next supply arrived only on November 2. Following this prolonged gap, women demanded two cylinders when the LPG vehicle reached the area. They pointed out that after going without an LPG supply for three to four months, it was practically impossible for families to manage their cooking requirements with just one cylinder. The women had clearly stated that they would accept the cylinders only if two cylinders were provided to them.
Mrs. Basanti Devi said that the LPG distribution management insisted on providing only one cylinder to each consumer, stating that they had received instructions to distribute just one cylinder. This led to growing resentment among the women, who subsequently launched a protest. She said that if LPG cylinders had been supplied regularly every one or two months, there would have been no need for the women to demand two cylinders. However, when the supply arrives after a gap of three to four months, managing household requirements with a single cylinder becomes extremely difficult.
The Zilla Parishad Member also raised concerns over the annual LPG cylinder quota available to consumers. She said that consumers are entitled to nine cylinders in a year, but people have complained that in several cases, the year comes to an end after they have received only four cylinders. She questioned where the remaining cylinders go and said that consumers have every right to raise this issue. She maintained that the women had no improper intentions behind their demand and were merely trying to bring their genuine difficulties to the attention of the administration and the concerned department.
Expressing strong displeasure over the confrontation between the police and women during the protest at Rest Camp, Mrs. Basanti Devi said that such a situation should never have arisen. She said the police should also have understood the helplessness and genuine problems faced by the women. When women have been struggling with the lack of basic facilities for a long time and come forward to raise their demands, they should be treated with sensitivity and understanding. She said that the kind of situation that developed between the women and the police could have been avoided. This is not the problem of any single individual but a concern affecting the entire population of the area.
She further stated that people across North and Middle Andaman have been facing several basic infrastructure-related problems for a long time. The poor condition of the National Highway is one of the major examples. For the past six to seven years, residents have been struggling with the deteriorating condition of the road. During the dry season, dust rising from the roads makes it difficult for people even to stay inside their homes, while during the rainy season, mud and waterlogging make vehicular movement extremely difficult. She said that people of North and Middle Andaman are particularly affected by these conditions, and a permanent solution to their problems is yet to be found.
Mrs. Basanti Devi also expressed concern over the availability of alternative cooking fuels in the region. She said that people earlier depended on firewood, but it is now difficult to obtain wood from the Forest Department. At the same time, kerosene and other alternative fuels are also not available regularly. The electricity situation is equally unsatisfactory, with frequent power disruptions creating difficulties for people in preparing their meals. Even when people resort to electric cooking appliances, the additional electricity consumption places an extra financial burden on households. Under these circumstances, irregular LPG supply has further aggravated the difficulties faced by residents.
She pointed out that a large number of women in the region go out of their homes for work, making timely arrangements for cooking extremely important for their daily lives. Consequently, delays in LPG supply directly affect their household responsibilities and routine activities. She urged the administration and the concerned department to ensure regular distribution of domestic LPG cylinders in Rest Camp and all other areas of North and Middle Andaman. She said that people would be willing to accept even one cylinder every one or two months if supplies were maintained consistently. However, making families wait for three to four months and then providing only one cylinder is not sufficient to meet their household requirements.
Mrs. Basanti Devi expressed hope that the administration would take the entire matter seriously and introduce necessary improvements in the LPG distribution system at the earliest, so that women and the general public in the region are not forced to resort to such protests again.
