Berhampur: Amid allegations of black marketing and hoarding of cooking gas cylinders in Ganjam, the district administration has decided to launch a crackdown on such illegal activities at block level.“The block-level enforcement teams, led by the respective tehsildars and civil supplies and marketing officials have been asked to carry out surprise raids in rural areas in to curb illegal hoarding and misuse of domestic LPG cylinders,” said V Keerthi Vasan, Ganjam collector.At present, raids are being conducted by the enforcement team at subdivisional level only. It has so far seized 107 LPG cylinders from different places, especially hotels and eateries, sources said.The civil supplies officials have registered cases against those found in illegal possession of the cooking gas cylinders under the relevant sections of the Essential Commodities Act, 1955, and Liquefied Petroleum Gas (Regulation of Supply and Distribution) Order, 2000.The collector said a district crisis committee meeting was held on Saturday evening to take stock of the situation. Besides the civil supplies officials, those from different cooking gas companies were also present. The review has revealed there is no scarcity of LPG in the district.“We request people not to rush for panic-buying of the cooking gas and spread rumours on scarcity of the LPG,” said the collector, directing officials to ensure supply of the LPG to educational institutions, and heathcare and anagnwadi centres without delay.As many as 19,967 and 1,097 domestic and commercial gas cylinders respectively were stocked with the cooking gas distributors in the district as on Sunday, said Subhrajit Samantara, additional civil supplies officer, Berhampur. The district has a total of 8.38 lakh domestic and 5,111 commercial consumers.In Gajapati district, the supplies officers recently seized 90 LPG cylinders, including 42 empty, of various companies from a house at Birikote under Mohana block.
