As the LPG crisis deepens in Kolkata, a 40-year-old kerosene oil shop in Behala’s Buroshibtala area sold nearly 10 times its usual daily quantity on Thursday, said owner Upendra Shaw.
The shop, which typically sees 10 to 12 ration card holders a day, witnessed an overwhelming rush on March 12, with many customers forced to return after the stock ran out.
“We generally sell 50 to 60 litres of kerosene every day. Today we sold around 600 litres. We could have sold at least two more barrels, but the stock was exhausted and many people had to go back,” said Shaw.
The 59-year-old shopkeeper said arranging additional supply immediately is not possible as the West Bengal government has fixed the quota at two to three barrels for every shop. “The quotas are fixed by the government,” he said.
Shaw added that his business recorded its lowest sales last year, and this is the first time in five years that his stock has completely run out.
“The kerosene we sold today had been lying in stock for one to two months. We usually keep limited stock because there was hardly any demand until the LPG crisis hit,” he said.
Kerosene is currently selling for Rs 64.20 per litre in Kolkata, according to Shaw.
The ripple effects of the US-Iran conflict have led to a crisis in the supply of LPG and CNG across both commercial establishments and households in India. On March 10, the Centre instructed that the supply of all non-domestic, non-exempted commercial LPG cylinders be suspended indefinitely.
Kolkata began feeling the brunt of the LPG crisis from early morning on March 11, when most domestic LPG cylinder helpline numbers stopped working. What initially began as an emergency measure by the Centre to halt the distribution of commercial LPG cylinders and ration domestic supplies quickly snowballed into a situation of panic and alarm as customers began looking for alternative measures.
Consequently, induction cooktops are going out of stock in several major cities, and even many Kolkatans are scrambling for available alternatives to cook their daily meals.