By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: The city is in the grip of another major crisis of domestic LPG cylinders as consumers are at the receiving end due to shortage in supply for the last two months.
It has been learnt that the present scarcity is one of the worst in recent times with all the areas of Greater Shillong being affected by it.
Despite all the efforts on part of the District Administration, which has taken up the matter with the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) on more than one occasion, the situation refuses to improve in the city which is gearing up to face the winters.
Speaking to The Shillong Times, Anu Nandy, a resident of Polo said that she has six family members including her aged in-laws and is somehow managing her kitchen for the last two months. “It is unbearable. Every year we are hit by a couple of such crisis and yet the government is incapable of doing anything,” she said.
A resident of Pynthormkhrah, Harikala Sunar said that the only gas agency in the area is having a monopoly and is running riot on the consumers. “It looks like the gas agencies in the city have nothing to fear since they create their own scarcity and release supply when they think it to be fit at the backdrop of a mute administration,” he said.
This resident is echoed by a resident of Lower Laban, Ashraf Sultan who said that the only gas agency in Laban is creating numerous problems for the customers by holding their supply and putting the blame on the IOC for irregular supply. “The moment the rate of LPG cylinder is revised the agency starts releasing the cylinders which proves that the scarcity was created by the agency itself,” he said.
Meanwhile, consumers have also complained that the seal of cylinders are often tampered with and the concerned gas agencies should be penalized for this. Lancy Syiem from Lawmali said that she has seen that the gas agency in her area has tampered with seals in their godown and extracted LPG with the help of a suction machine.
“There is no checking from the side of the government on the level of unfair trade practices these gas agencies are practicing,” she said. Among the most affected lot are the Durga Puja Committees who are subject to allotment of LPG cylinders during the puja celebration. But with the prevailing condition fuelled by the gas agencies these committees have to depend on alternative fuel supply, now. Consumers are also of the opinion that the district administration should start rating gas agencies on the basis of their performances and penalize those who are lagging behind.