LPG shortage week after strike called off

Meanwhile,long queues of customers outside LPG outlets waiting to get a cylinder is a common sight in almost every part of the city and Pimpri-Chinchwad. Ideally,the gas agencies should deliver the cylinder within 48 hours of booking but at present the customers have to wait for 15-25 days. Enraged customers had staged a Rasta Roko near Morwadi in Pimpri Chinchwad.

“While there is a booking of 400-500 cylinders every day they are issuing only 100 cylinders three days a week. This is only leading to piling up of the waiting list. This is the third time I am queuing up here but I haven’t got the cylinder yet. After standing for four-five hours I had to return empty handed,” said Nitin Bhingardiwe,a resident of Bhavani Peth.

Humera Sheikh,a homemaker from N T Wadi,Shivajinagar said it has been 15 days since she booked the cylinder but hasn’t got the delivery yet. “The gas agency has been saying that there is a shortage in supply in the city which is casing the delay.”

Other customers allege that the agencies have stopped taking new bookings stating that the booking will only resume after the backlog is dealt with. Some customers are of the opinion that the dealers are selling the cylinders for commercial usage.

However,Vijay Bhave,chairman LPG dealers association of Maharashtra,denied the allegation saying the dealers and LPG companies were doing best to sort out the shortage of supply created by the tanker owners strike. He said the agencies remained open on Sunday,on Mahavir Jayanti and Good Friday holidays to deal with the shortage.

“I would urge the consumers to refrain from queuing up at gas agency outlets. We are bound to provide a home delivery to everybody who has booked the cylinder. Queuing up at outlets and creating chaos only slows down the whole process,” said Bhave.