Tripura Food Minister assures sufficient stocks of fuel, LPG, essentials
Agartala, May 14: Tripura Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister Sushanta Chowdhury on Thursday assured that there is no fuel crisis in the state.
He said, Tripura currently has adequate stocks of petrol and diesel for the next 15 days, while additional consignments are already on the way.
The assurance came amid panic buying and long queues at several petrol pumps across Agartala after a number of fuel stations reportedly stopped supply and displayed “No Petrol” and “No Diesel” notices.
Following the situation, the minister convened an urgent meeting with Food Department officials and representatives of petroleum agencies.
Addressing the media after the meeting, the minister appealed to people not to believe rumours or encourage black marketing.
“We have sufficient stock of petrol and diesel in the state for at least the next 15 days. More supplies are arriving. People should not panic,” he said.
However, despite the government’s assurance, several petrol pumps in different parts of Agartala continued displaying notices claiming fuel was unavailable, leading to public concern and allegations of artificial scarcity by some fuel outlets.
Meanwhile, the minister also assured that there is no shortage of essential commodities under the Public Distribution System (PDS) and in the open market. According to official data shared during the meeting, rice stock under the PDS is available for the next 84 days, wheat for 57 days, sugar for 28 days, masoor dal for 34 days and salt for seven days, with a fresh consignment expected to arrive by Saturday.
In the open market, the government claimed that rice stock is sufficient for 84 days, edible oil for 87 days, onion for 32 days, potato for 18 days, wheat for 37 days, sugar for 31 days and salt for 122 days.
The minister warned that any attempt at black marketing or hoarding would not be tolerated and instructed officials to take strict legal action against those involved in such activities.
