Patna: The Bihar government has established a state-level control room and issued helpline numbers to assist workers from the state stranded in the Middle East and other parts of India amid the ongoing conflict in West Asia, officials said on Monday.
The initiative was announced during a crisis management meeting chaired by the chief secretary, Pratyaya Amrit.
According to the labour resources department, workers can contact the control room via phone at 0612-2520053 or through WhatsApp on 7368855002 to report grievances or seek assistance. Nodal officers have been appointed to coordinate responses and support services.
The meeting also reviewed infrastructure work related to piped natural gas (PNG) connections across the state, where officials expressed dissatisfaction over delays and directed oil companies to accelerate implementation.
Companies including Indian Oil, Bharat Gas, Hindustan Petroleum, GAIL and Think Gas were instructed to improve performance and operate in “mission mode”, with warnings of strict action in case of continued delays.
Officials noted that, apart from districts such as Patna and Muzaffarpur, several regions were lagging behind targets for PNG connections. Districts including Arwal, Gaya, Kaimur, Rohtas, Saran and West Champaran were identified as areas of concern.
The nodal department has been asked to submit weekly progress reports every Monday, while divisional commissioners have been directed to verify contractor deployment and manpower availability in their respective jurisdictions.
The meeting also reviewed supply demand for PNG, noting that around 70% of weekly demand from hotels and industrial units is currently being met.
Separately, officials reported that district-level control rooms are addressing public complaints on a daily basis. Around 800 complaints have been received in the past five days. Authorities also said 22,878 inspections have been carried out, with several cylinder seizures and FIRs registered as part of enforcement action.
