Campbell Bay: Public anger over the prolonged LPG shortage in Great Nicobar erupted into a major protest on Monday as Panchayati Raj Institution (PRI) members and scores of residents staged a chakka jam at Zero Point, bringing traffic to a standstill and demanding an immediate, permanent solution to the island’s worsening cooking gas crisis.
The agitation, launched under the banner of the previously announced “Campbell Bay Bandh”, follows repeated representations by elected PRI representatives to the Andaman and Nicobar Administration, alleging official inaction despite months of disruption in LPG cylinder supplies to the island.
Protesters accused the Administration of failing to restore regular supplies of the essential household fuel, leaving hundreds of families to grapple with severe hardship. They maintained that assurances from the authorities had not translated into action, forcing residents to take to the streets in protest.
As the demonstration gathered momentum, the Assistant Commissioner of Campbell Bay reached the protest site and appealed to the agitators to withdraw the road blockade. However, the protesters remained firm, declaring that the chakka jam would continue until the Administration gave a categorical assurance that an adequate stock of LPG cylinders would be dispatched by sea from Sri Vijaya Puram and reach Great Nicobar by July 30, 2026. The Administration had earlier indicated that arrangements would be made to ensure the availability of LPG cylinders at Campbell Bay by July 31.
PRI representatives said the island’s residents had suffered enough, alleging that the recurring disruption in LPG supplies over the past several months had exposed serious gaps in the essential commodities distribution system. They asserted that the people were no longer willing to accept temporary assurances and were seeking a lasting mechanism to ensure uninterrupted availability of cooking gas in Great Nicobar.
Despite the mounting public anger, the protest has remained peaceful, with demonstrators reiterating that the agitation will continue until the Administration commits to a concrete and time-bound plan to end the LPG crisis once and for all.
