SCCI Warns of Production Halt in Jamshedpur-Adityapur Hub
Jamshedpur: The Singhbhum Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) has sought the urgent intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to resolve a severe shortage of commercial LPG affecting the Jamshedpur-Adityapur industrial belt. The Chamber warned that without immediate relief, thousands of MSMEs face potential shutdowns, threatening the livelihoods of over one lakh workers.
A Critical Hub Under Pressure
SCCI President Manav Kedia emphasized that the Jamshedpur-Adityapur region is a vital industrial pillar of Eastern India. Spanning 3,200 hectares with over 1,200 functional units, the hub relies heavily on commercial LPG for essential engineering processes, including:
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Welding & Brazing
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Metal Cutting & Forging
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Heat Treatment & Casting
The Numbers: Why Industry Shouldn’t be Sidelined
Kedia pointed out that while domestic consumers account for nearly 87% of India’s 31 million metric tonnes of annual LPG consumption, the industrial sector uses only about 13-16%.
“Ensuring a limited, steady supply to industries will not significantly impact domestic availability but will prevent a massive industrial collapse,” Kedia noted in the letter.
Impact on Jobs and Supply Chains
Harsh Bankrewal, Vice President (Industry) of SCCI, highlighted that recent directives prioritizing domestic users have left industrial units struggling. Many factories have already reduced production levels. Punit Kauntia, General Secretary of SCCI, added that any prolonged disruption would break the supply chain for major automobile and engineering giants, leading to large-scale local unemployment.
High-Level Appeals
The SCCI has sent copies of the petition to:
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Hardeep Singh Puri, Union Minister for Petroleum & Natural Gas
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Hemant Soren, Chief Minister of Jharkhand
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Deputy Commissioner, East Singhbhum
The Chamber urges the government to issue clear guidelines to Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) to maintain a “minimum and assured supply” of commercial cylinders to industrial zones.
