Nagpur: LPG dealers have demanded action against oil companies under the Emergency Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) for failing to keep their online booking portals working 24/7, leading to consumers scrambling for cylinders. The Maharashtra chapter of LPG Dealers Association of India (LDAI) also expressed concern over the safety of their staff, who they claim are now being forced to work extended hours while constantly facing the ire of irate consumers.Bablu Tiwari, state president of LDAI, said, “ESMA means you cannot stop the service under any condition, it’s a legal requirement. Just imagine if any of our dealers, due to fear of life, locks his godown, then cops will land up at his doorstep. But oil companies are failing to keep their online booking portals working 24×7, OTPs are not getting delivered. Shouldn’t the ESMA rules apply to oil companies too?” Tiwari asked. Mahendra Gavai, owner of a gas agency, which has over 50,000 registered consumers, alleged the problem compounded further because the oil companies did not upgrade their IT infrastructure. “The OTP delivery issue has been going on for a long time. Many of our consumers have been complaining about it. Look at the famous dabbawalas of Mumbai, they reach thousands of people without using any technology. You must not force technology where it’s not needed. The ground situation is getting worse by the day due to the sluggish online booking system,” Gavai said.The sluggish system has resulted in delivery staff working for long hours, Gavai added. “Staff who would go home after an eight-hour shift are now being forced to work for 14 hours. It is mandatory to punch all authentication codes for deliveries on the same day. With the portal unresponsive most of the time, our staff is forced to work till late night to punch in authentication codes. Plus, we have been given a three-hour window to place orders for load, else it goes over to the next day,” said Gavai. He added that delivery staff have sought extra commission, in some cases a 100% hike, citing threat to their vehicles loaded with cylinders.The dealers feel that they are being painted as villains. “We are the face of oil companies’ LPG products. Currently, the customers feel dealers are villains while the fault lies with someone else,” Gavai added. Tiwari said they will be writing to govt seeking protection at all their places of operation. “Cops have been deployed at our office, which is a good move. But police must be deployed at our warehouses where cylinders are stored,” said Tiwari.
