Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has directed higher educational institutions (HEIs) across the state to closely monitor the supply of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) to hostels and shift to Piped Natural Gas (PNG) connections wherever the facility is available.
The Higher Education Department has issued direction following discussions held during the second meeting of the State Crisis Management Group and observations made by top officials.
A letter issued by the department on June 25 asked the Regional Directors of Education at Baleshwar, Bhubaneswar, Brahmapur, Jeypore and Sambalpur to take immediate steps to address issues related to LPG supply in higher educational institutions, particularly hostels.
The department has asked regional directors to issue instructions to all HEIs under their jurisdiction regarding any scarcity of LPG supply.
The officials have also been directed to establish and widely publicise a departmental helpline number for reporting LPG-related issues.
The letter further asks authorities to ensure proper monitoring and prompt redressal of complaints related to LPG supply so that hostel operations are not affected.
As part of the preventive measures, the department has instructed all higher educational institutions to switch to PNG connections without delay wherever such infrastructure is available.
An Action Taken Report (ATR) has been sought by the department from the regional directors, who are required to submit the report by June 30.
