Nagpur: Amidst the deepening shortage of LPG cylinders linked to the ongoing West Asia conflict, the district administration on Wednesday launched raids across the city to check illegal stocking and black-marketing of cylinders. The action is part of a wider crackdown to ensure domestic LPG cylinders reach households and are not diverted for commercial use, said officials. Raids were conducted at gas agency offices, storage facilities, and other suspected locations across the city.Speaking to TOI, a senior administrative official said teams inspected multiple locations on Wednesday, including a gas agency in Sadar, two godowns at Jaripatka, and another in Pardi. “The administration’s focus is to ensure citizens get an appropriate supply of LPG cylinders. Today, a 5-member team carried out the action and the drive would intensify in coming days on collector’s order,” the official said.When asked whether irregularities were detected during the raids, the official said stock verification was carried out at several locations and a report will be compiled soon.The action comes at a time when several restaurants, roadside eateries, and small food stalls in the city are facing severe difficulty in procuring commercial LPG cylinders to run their business. Many vendors have reportedly started using domestic cylinders or shifting to alternative fuel like wood or coal to continue operations. Consumer rights activists have raised concerns over the alleged diversion and black-marketing of domestic LPG cylinders.Nitin Solanki of Grahak Dakshata Kalyan Foundation said the present situation emerged due to long-standing gaps in planning and infrastructure. “This situation arose due to lack of foresight on part of the Central and state govts as well as oil companies,” he said.Solanki added the country needs to significantly improve its LPG storage capacity and infrastructure. “The country should have the capacity to store LPG sufficient for at least 6 to 7 months, and the number of bottling plants should be increased. Unfortunately, this aspect was neglected. The most serious concern is black-marketing of domestic LPG cylinders, which are being widely used at commercial establishments and in vehicles,” he said.He also suggested stronger technological tracking measures to curb misuse of cylinders. According to him, systems such as barcode, QR code, and RFID tagging should be implemented at the earliest to monitor cylinder movement. “All consumers should undergo e-KYC, and domestic LPG cylinders must be supplied strictly for household use only so that misuse is prevented. Commercial establishments must be compelled to use only commercial cylinders,” he said.
