Gautam Buddha Nagar: When one country benefits from the achievements of another country in the global world, how can any country remain unaffected by the horrors of war? In India, the availability of petrol, diesel, and gas is inevitably impacted by the war involving the USA, Israel, and Iran. The longer the war lasts, the greater the concern will be. Although the government is constantly assuring that the country has adequate reserves of oil and gas, the opposition does not trust this.
In the current circumstances, Medha Rupam, the DM of Gautam Buddha Nagar, held a meeting with the regional sales officers of IOCL, BPCL, and HPCL (LPG) marketing/supply branches. In the meeting, she stated that sufficient stock of LPG, petrol, and diesel is available for the district. She emphasized that under no circumstances should a panic situation arise among gas consumers. Guidelines were also issued regarding the distribution of cylinders.
The District Magistrate said that the Essential Commodities Act, 1955 is in force. In such a situation, if anyone engages in illegal buying, selling, or storage of LPG cylinders, strict action will be taken against them. Due to the possibilities of black marketing and illegal storage of oil and gas, the district administration has also been conducting raids on petrol pumps and gas agencies. It is also true that black marketing and illegal storage of gas is an illegal but huge business. Such people also look for opportunities in a crisis. Just as the impact of the horrors of war on the world is inevitable, how can everything be normal in India then?
It is the responsibility of every accountable government to look after the needs of its citizens and keep their spirits up. The Government of India is doing all this, so the question arises: who is not getting gas? Who is spreading news about the gas shortage? Who is affected by it? In fact, there is a section in the country consisting of laborers and temporary renters. Their household stoves or street vendors making food items by setting up small stalls also depend on these same gas cylinders.
As the country moves toward a gas and oil crisis, raids are continuously being conducted on black marketers and hoarders. The recovery of a large quantity of gas cylinders is proof that along with the shortage of gas, the illegal trade and hoarding business has also begun. It is also not entirely appropriate to dismiss the opposition’s concerns by linking them to mere politics. The public perspective of the country’s citizens has not yet developed to fully understand the nationwide problem. As a result, people, in such a situation, start worrying about tomorrow instead of today and get involved in hoarding and black marketing. A similar scene was witnessed by the citizens a few years ago when a fake news circulated on social media and WhatsApp groups, and within just a few hours, people bought salt from the market and hoarded it in their homes.