LPG Crisis: Domestic Consumers Rush to Gas Agencies for Refills
As the government has enhanced the minimum gap between LPG bookings to 25 days from the earlier 21 days, the online booking through IVRS by the LPG brands of oil marketing companies is not being allowed unless the due time is reached.
Vijayawada: Domestic LPG consumers are rushing to gas agencies for refills and picking up arguments with the dealers/distributors over delay in supply and citing their inability to book refills online across Andhra Pradesh.
Long queues are formed before gas agencies at several places, with consumers pressing for early supply of the refills.
A city based gas distributor said, “We used to have online bookings of domestic LPG refills in the range of 250 to 300 on an average per day, but now we are getting 380 to 400 bookings per day. The people are panic-stricken over their apprehensions on short supply. Some consumers are visiting us and demanding immediate delivery of refills. Some are picking up a fight.”
As the government has enhanced the minimum gap between LPG bookings to 25 days from the earlier 21 days, the online booking through IVRS by the LPG brands of oil marketing companies is not being allowed unless the due time is reached. This was unlike the earlier practice of booking LPG refills at will, with no curbs.
A gas delivery boy said, “The manual bookings for LPG refills were withdrawn a few years ago. Consumers are habituated to book through IVRS. With new curbs, IVRS will not accept bookings before the due date. This means there should be a 25-day gap from two bookings. Panic booking is also causing the IVRS getting stuck.”
Gas agencies say that the number of LPG cylinders being delivered to them has been trimmed in the last two to three days.
The state government issued a statement saying they have the availability of LPG stock of 17,962mt as on Thursday, and that the state has 161.19 lakh LPG connections.
The government has promised domestic PNG supply and also the CNG for vehicles to the extent of 100 per cent, with no cuts. Industries, manufacturing units and other industrial consumers connected to the gas grid will receive about 80 per cent of their previous six-month average supply. Fertiliser plants will receive 70 per cent supply while refineries and petrochemical units will see a reduction of about 35 per cent.
The government noted, “Based on the field feedback, some panic bookings and hoarding are noticed. The normal delivery cycle for domestic LPG remains about 2.5 days. Consumers are urged not to go for panic booking of LPG cylinders.”
Moreover, the OMCs and district enforcement teams were coordinating at the field level to clear distributor backlogs and ensure smooth deliveries, the government said.
“We are continuously monitoring the global situation and taking steps to ensure uninterrupted fuel supplies and protect households and priority sectors,” it said.
The current price for domestic LPG cylinder is Rs.935 in AP after the recent hike of Rs.60. The government is providing 100 per cent subsidy for three refills per year under Deepam-2 for eligible beneficiaries.
