PATNA, April 7 -- Bihar chief secretary Pratyaya Amrit on Monday warned oil marketing companies (OMCs) of strict action for failing to meet targets amid the ongoing LPG crisis triggered by the West Asia conflict, while expressing concern over the sluggish rollout of piped natural gas (PNG) infrastructure across Bihar, according to a government communique released on Monday. Chairing a meeting of the crisis management group, Amrit directed representatives of major OMCs, including the Indian Oil Corporation Limited, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited, GAIL and Think Gas, to expedite execution of projects in "mission mode" and ensure on-ground implementation without delays. The chief secretary expressed dissatisfaction with the pace of domestic PNG connections, noting that barring districts such as Patna and Muzaffarpur, most areas were lagging behind targets. Officials cited technical bottlenecks, including delays in land allocation and pending approvals from the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation, as key impediments. Amrit tasked the food and consumer protection department, the nodal agency, with weekly monitoring of progress and submission of detailed reports every Monday. He also directed divisional commissioners and secretaries-in-charge to conduct field visits and physically verify the deployment of contractors and manpower for pipeline installation. During the meeting, food and consumer protection department secretary Abhay Kumar Singh presented the status of LPG supply, highlighting significant backlog in districts such as Arwal, Gaya, Kaimur, Rohtas, Saran and West Champaran, said a press release issued by the cabinet coordination department. The release, however, did not mention the average waiting period for a domestic LPG refill, after the booking cap of 25 days in urban areas and 45 days in rural areas between the delivery of the last cylinder and booking a new one. Districts such as Rohtas and West Champaran have reported backlogs of up to 6.2 days, while Gaya and Darbhanga have recorded delays of 5.4 days and five days, respectively, as of last Thursday. The state-wide average backlog then stood at 4.4 days. Control rooms set up across districts received around 800 consumer complaints over the past five days, primarily related to difficulties in obtaining LPG cylinders, though many cases have since been resolved. District administrations have intensified enforcement, carrying out 22,878 inspections that led to the seizure of domestic cylinders being misused and the registration of multiple FIRs. Most cases relate to diversion of domestic LPG for commercial use. OMC representatives informed that nearly 90% of LPG deliveries are now being completed through OTP-based verification linked to registered mobile numbers, with alternate numbers largely discontinued for security reasons. To assist labourers from Bihar stranded in the Middle East and other states, the labour resources department has operationalised a state-level control room number (0612-2520053) and WhatsApp helpline (7368855002), along with appointing nodal officers. Meanwhile, efforts to scale up PNG infrastructure are being supported through skill development initiatives. The public health engineering department (PHED) is training plumbers and ITI students in Patna, Lakhisarai and Munger. The release added that around 70% of the weekly demand from hotels and industrial units is currently being met....