KOZHIKODE: The LPG distributors in the city are flouting the explosives licence mandates and unloading LPG cylinders on the side of busy roads in the city. Several LPG cylinders are seen kept on the pavements and chained together, posing a serious threat to the safety of the road users and pedestrians. The distributors, as per the guidelines of oil companies and local governments, should unload the cylinders at their licensed godowns only.
“What they do is in violation of rules. They cannot unload and keep LPG cylinders on the roadsides. We can take action against the distributor who does this,” a senior official of Indian Oil Corporation told Deccan Chronicle.
Pedestrians complain that such scenes are common in different parts of the city and nobody seems to pay any attention.
“They unload and keep the cylinders on the pavements. They do it even near petrol bunks. This is a safety hazard and the authorities should take action against the distributors for their callous attitude,” Arun K.K., a city resident said.
Sources told DC that the distributors also use this opportunity to divert domestic cylinders to the commercial markets. They manipulate the godown records and divert the cylinders for a higher price and delay the delivery of domestic cylinders.
“It is very difficult to get a convincing answer from your distributor regarding the delay. Since Malabar is notorious for its backlog in the supply of LPG, consumers have learnt to put up with such inordinate delays. We have seen private parties collecting cylinders from the bunch unloaded on roadsides,” Santhosh Kumar, another city resident said.
