Two 'Maa Canteens' shut in Hooghly's Arambagh amid LPG crisis

The severe shortage of cooking gas in West Bengal has hit the state's welfare schemes, leading to the temporary closure of two prominent "Maa Canteens" in Arambagh. These canteens, operated by the Arambagh Municipality, provide subsidised meals at just ₹5 to nearly 900 people daily. With no gas cylinders available for several days, the authorities were forced to hang closure notices at the units located near the Bhabaghure Building in Ward 13 and the Arambagh Medical College Hospital.

The closure has caused immense distress to daily wage earners, patients' families, and local residents who rely on these canteens for affordable nutrition. Councillor Hasan Ali Chowdhury, who oversees the project, stated that each canteen requires two to four cylinders daily to function. He expressed regret over the situation, noting that while the central government claims to have sufficient stocks, the reality on the ground is a crippling scarcity that is affecting the poorest sections of society.

Political tension is mounting over the issue, as local leaders blame the central government’s management of the fuel crisis amidst the ongoing Middle East conflict. The municipality has clarified that the services will remain suspended until the gas supply is normalized. Meanwhile, the crisis has prompted other government departments, like the Lalbazar police barracks, to consider shifting to induction cooktops to bypass the dependency on LPG.