To procure subsidised domestic lPG cylinders from the gas agencies, dozens of gas connection holders were seen sweating their way in long queues at the agency units on Tuesday. However, things were dismal for most of them. Those who have booked cylinders by March 31 will not be able to procure the last subsidised cylinder of last financial year (2014-15) in April. The customers will receive instead their subsidised cylinders for the next financial year 2015-16 from Wednesday, said Indian Oil Corporation deputy manager (lPG Uttarakhand) Dhirendra Kumar on Tuesday.
According to a Himani Gas Services official, the backlog had piled up considerably, given the customers’ demand to procure all the 12 subsidised cylinders by March 31. Things were serious with the oil company having not increased the volume of supply to the agencies in proportion to the mounting demands.
Vijay Kohli, a resident of Karanpur, who was seen standing in a serpentine queue at Himani Gas Services on Tuesday, said that he had booked cylinders over mobile phone on March 19 to avail 12th subsidised cylinder from the agency. Despite twelve days having passed since he had booked, the cylinder had not reached his home, he said. Aware of the fact that he would miss his 12th subsidised cylinder if the agency does not deliver it by Tuesday, he approached the agency official on Tuesday but retuned empty handed, he said.
An agency official said that they could send only a few cylinders on home delivery due to crunch of domestic lPG cylinders. New stock is likely to arrive in four days. This means most of the customers waiting for their 12 subsidised cylinder of last financial year would miss it. long queues were witnessed too at the godown of Sahkarita Gas Service on Tuesday. The agency official said that a truck load of cylinders was received on Tuesday after four days. All the customers who queued were given cylinders, he claimed.
All India lPG Federation Uttarakhand Circle president and Valley Gas Agency owner Chaman lal said that the oil company sending cylinders erratically has landed them and the customers in soup. Besides, the volume of supply is abysmally low as compared to the burgeoning demand of the cylinders. Aman, a gas connection holder who was standing at Godown of Sahkarita Gas Service, said that he had reached the agency at 6 am to procure his last subsidized cylinder of the ending financial year.
Himani Gas Agency official said that the agencies receiving lesser volume of cylinders is spawning around 20 percent shortfall as far as the number of the consumers in the city is concerned. Backlog mounts as all the customers are intent on procuring all 12 subsidized gas cylinders from the agency. He further said that there are around 30, 000 customers in his agency and around 4000 cylinders are backlogged. The low volume of supply from Indian Oil Corporation has caused an acute shortage of lPG cylinders at the gas agency. The agency received three trucks laden with cylinders. If the agency receives four or five daily the backlog might come down, he added.