CM Taking Steps To Tide Over LPG Crisis

Chennai: Announcing a subsidy of Rs 2 per unit for the excessive electricity consumed by industries and families in lieu of LPG, whose shortage caused by the outbreak of the Gulf War, had led to a major crisis, Additional Chief Secretary K Radhakrishnan said Chief Minister M K Stalin was closely monitoring the situation and had held a series of meetings with different stakeholders, including restaurant owners and industries, to find ways to tide of the situation.

A slew of measures had been taken to encourage the use of electricity at homes and in industries as an alternative energy source through subsidies and special schemes to enable the procurement of appliances and gave details of the schemes, Radhakrishnan told the media, along with him the State Level coordinator for oil companies supplying LPG, Palaniswami, and a few other officers at the Secretariat on Saturday.

The government had relaxed several pollution control norms and had allowed MSMEs using LPG and CNG to switch over to kerosene, RDF, HSD, Biomass and such alternative fuels without prior permission from the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) that just needed to be informed of the switch over. All the 60,698 industries monitored by the TNPCB could avail of his facility till the shortage of LPG continued, he said.

LPG cylinders would be supplied every 25 for domestic consumers in urban areas and every 45 days in rural areas, he said. LPG for commercial use would be maintained at a rate of 20 percent with hospitals, student hostels, schools and colleges get priority, he said

Envisaging the crisis affecting the 9300 primary milk producers due to the closing down of restaurants, the government has devised mitigation plans and announced a slew of schemes providing for subsidy and financial support to industries for procurement of electrical appliances that would help switch over to electricity.

Aavin, the apex milk cooperative, would purchase the milk straight from the producers and farmers, whose sales of vegetables could be hit by the closing of restaurants, would be allowed to dispense their products through the 194 farmers’ markets in the State without any restrictions.

Under the public distribution system, an additional 3228 kilo litres of kerosene would be distributed to family card holders, he said and gave details of the measures taken at the behest of the Chief Minister. The officers said that the oil companies were making efforts to bring LPG cylinders to meet the demands of the public; coordination was being made at the district level itself to ensure smooth supply.

Urging the people to not fall prey to the rumours spread about the situation, Radhakrishnan said that the State government was depending on the Union Government for supply of LPG and was only relying on the information provided by them. He also warned black marketers trying to make extra money out of the crisis.