With the new financial year drawing nearer, customers’ demand for subsidized cooking gas has been increasing in the city. However, on the flip side, short supply of domestic lPG cylinders from the oil companies is increasing the backlog with various gas agencies in Dehradun over the past two weeks. All India lPG Federation Uttarakhand Circle president and Valley Gas Agency owner Chaman lal said that one truck- load of cylinders are being sent from the Oil Company sporadically for the past 15 days. The volume of supply is abysmally low as compared to the burgeoning demand of the cylinders. Around 3,000 cooking gases are backlogged with the gas agencies across the district, he added.
Short of cylinders supplied from the oil company to the agencies is landing the customers in trouble. Customers are being seen at various agencies standing in long queue outside the agency since morning for procuring cooking gas over the last fortnight. Chaman lal further said that what the agencies are receiving is spawning around 20 percent shortfall as far as the number of the consumers in the city is concerned. As the new financial is approaching nearer all the customers are intent on procuring all 12 subsidized gas cylinders from the agency. They started booking cylinders with the agency from first week of March. The demand has risen by 30 percent, but almost half of the gas agencies are not receiving cylinders on a daily basis from the oil companies, thus compounding things for the customers as well as the agencies.
He further said that there are around 16, 000 customers in his agency and around 3000 cylinders are backlogged. The low volume of supply from Indian Oil Corporation has caused an acute shortage of lPG cylinders at the gas agency. To improve supply of gas cylinders, a meeting was recently held chaired by the IOC senior officer. The officials concerned were given necessary instructions, said Indian Oil Corporation deputy manager (lPG Uttarakhand) Dhirendra Kumar. It was decided that truck loaded with cylinders will be supplied to the districts on Sunday, he added.