NOIDA: An inquiry ordered by the Ghaziabad administration into alleged black-marketing and hoarding at a Modinagar-based LPG agency revealed major irregularities, including a shortage of 99 domestic cylinders and discrepancies in stock records, officials said.According to an officer, following the probe, the gas agency was sealed by the administration, and its 10,000 consumers were transferred to nearby gas agencies.The probe was initiated after a consumer, Sachin Chaudhary, a resident of Phafrana village, submitted a complaint to the district magistrate on March 20, alleging malpractice at Dhirendra Gas Service.Acting on the complaint, the district magistrate directed the Modinagar tehsildar to conduct an inquiry. A joint team comprising officials from the revenue and supply departments, along with a sales officer from Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited, inspected the agency on Sunday.“During the inspection, a physical verification of stock was carried out and matched with the stock register, which revealed a shortage of 99 domestic LPG cylinders of 14.2 kg capacity,” said Amit Tiwari, district supply officer, Ghaziabad.He added that entries related to 19 kg commercial cylinders and other categories were also not updated in the stock register. Multiple consumers, including Chaudhary, gave statements during the inspection. “They informed the team that they received SMS alerts confirming delivery of cylinders but had not actually received them,” he said.Officials noted that there were previous complaints against the agency as well. “Despite being directed to resolve consumer grievances, the agency management failed to take corrective steps,” Tiwari added.Following the findings, an FIR was registered against the agency’s manager, Yogita Tomar, and owner, Kusum Tomar, under Sections 3 and 7 of the Essential Commodities Act, 1955, at the Modinagar police station.
