Venting their ire over the recent decision of oil companies to introduce Marketing Discipline Guidelines (MDG) to curb the various irregularities existing in the lPG distribution agencies, the distributors said that they would be staging a protest in New Delhi against this move.
As per the Marketing Discipline Guidelines issued by the oil companies, stringent action would be taken against the distributors found violating any of the stated norms. They would be liable to penalise the distributors if found misbehaving with any of the customers visiting the gas agency. According to the MDG, distributors would be strictly asked to follow the dress code and would be penalised if found flouting the dress code rules. Also, if any complaint is received against the distributors regarding not picking the customers phone, they would be liable to face penalty.
If distributors are found violating the stated guidelines for the first time they would be penalised 25 per cent on their commission for six months. If found violating for the second time, around 50 per cent penalty would be levied on their commission and on the third time, their distributorship would be terminated. President of the State Federation of lPG Distributors, Chaman lal called this move a discouraging and said that the members of all the five gas distribution agencies of the State would stage protest on January 4 in New Delhi against this decision and if their demands still remain ignored by the Government they would be sitting on hunger strike from January 5 onwards at Jantar Mantar, New delhi.
While talking about the recent hike in the prices of the lPG cylinders, Chaman lal said that the distributors can’t do much in this respect except abiding by the decision of the Government. It will be recalled that the Government has announced a hike in the prices of the non subsidised lPG cylinders from Rs1,078 to Rs1,308 and the prices of the commercial lPG has been increased to Rs2,189.50 from the earlier price of Rs1807.
Meanwhile, he also informed that Government is also planning to increase the number of subsidised lPG cylinders available to a customer from the current nine per year to 12 per year. He also added that if all goes well this decision is likely to be implemented from April this year. However, the Government’s decision of increasing the price of the non-subsidised lPG cylinders has elicited much criticism from the general public in the State capital.
Criticising this move, Dharampur resident Dheeraj Kumar said that the recent price hike would only add to the burden on the general public which is already suffering from the rise in prices of essential commodities. The State Government has failed to function efficiently in public interest and appears to be least bothered about the condition of the general public, averred Chukkhuwala resident Sanjeev Kumar.
Omprakash of Race Course said that the prices of the lPG were already high and Government has now increased the financial burden faced by the people. Another local, Sanjay Kumar said that the Government should withdraw its decision of hiking the price of non-subsidised lPG cylinders. Another local Kamlesh Negi of Premnagar blaming the government for inflation, said that this step would affect the budget of the common man but the Government appears to be unconcerned about the issues related to the general public.