Nagpur: “What if we miss the deadline?” was the question doing the rounds at offices of LPG distributors across the city on Sunday as anxious consumers made a last-minute rush to complete their eKYC, even as there was no clear word on what would happen to those who failed to do so by the stated deadline.The distributor, however, told the consumers not to panic. Even a govt official from the collectorate offered the same advice to consumers. Gas agency operators said they are expecting clarity from the govt and oil marketing companies (OMCs) by Monday.Several consumers were seen queuing up at gas agencies, seeking clarification from distributors on whether the Aug 23 deadline would be extended, whether their LPG refill bookings would be blocked or whether their connections could be affected sans eKYC.An operator stressed the govt and OMCs must clearly communicate what is going to happen. “Many are confused and some, who have not been able to do KYC, are afraid,” said the operator.Consumers said they had received messages saying that their eKYC was pending and asking them to complete the process before Aug 23 to continue getting LPG refills at domestic rates.“According to our records, the eKYC for your HP Gas connection is still pending. You have been informed through several channels to complete your eKYC, but you have not yet done so,” stated one such message received by a consumer.The message warned that failure to complete eKYC before Aug 23 could result in the refill booking or LPG connection being blocked, leaving consumers responsible for the consequences.Some consumers feared their connections could be blocked, while others were unsure whether they would be given additional time or the subsidy would be cancelled.Operators said a significant number of consumers had still not approached agencies for eKYC.
