Ranchi: Residents continued to queue up outside LPG distributors on Sunday in the hopes of securing a cylinder, even as the Ranchi district administration directed oil companies to ensure home delivery to consumers and prevent black-marketing of cylinders.Deputy commissioner Manjunath Bhajantri on Saturday convened a meeting with senior officials and representatives of oil and gas companies to ensure availability of LPG and directed to ensure that no customer has to visit godowns and depots of distributors to collect cylinders.
“If any individual, whether a gas agency operator or an employee, is found engaging in black-marketing or sale of cylinders at inflated prices, FIRs will be immediately lodged against them, and strict legal action will be initiated,” the DC said.Despite the warning, residents standing in queues on Sunday alleged that they were forced to visit LPG distribution centres after waiting for 10-15 days post-booking for delivery. Many said they were left with no option but to stand in queues for hours so that they can secure a cylinder.Bablu Oraon, a consumer waiting in front of an LPG distributor in Chutia area, said that he had booked a cylinder 15 days back. “I booked a cylinder on March 20, but have not got one delivered even after 15 days. I have been regularly visiting the distributor, but didn’t get a satisfactory reply on what is causing the delay in delivery,” he said.At Netaji Nagar locality in Kantatoli area, around 100 people queued up on a road throughout Saturday night to get cylinders, after failing to get their delivery more than a week after booking.Residents of Netaji Nagar alleged that their LPG distributor never delivered cylinders at their homes and asked for exorbitant money for delivery since the LPG supply disruption started.“We have queued up from around 10 pm on Saturday. Despite the district administration assuring that there is no shortage of LPG cylinders, why is our distributor not delivering on time? Moreover, the distributor asked for Rs 1,500 for a cylinder whereas the actual price is Rs 970,” an octogenarian resident of Netaji Nagar said on the condition of anonymity.Bhajantri also directed to deploy police teams and magistrates to control unnecessary queues outside LPG godowns.Emphasising on the possibility of disruption in LPG supply in the coming days, the DC urged consumers to refrain from panic booking and book strictly within their allotted limits to ensure that order is maintained and that cylinders remain available to all consumers.In a related development, district officials seized nine commercial LPG cylinders from a dhaba at Irwa village under Ormanjhi police station limits. The shop owner, who was allegedly running an illegal cylinder refilling unit, absconded.The district administration has appealed to the public to inform if they come across any case of black-marketing, illegal storage or refilling of LPG cylinders.
