The law prohibits use of domestic LPG cylinders for commercial purposes but the same law is being mocked at obviously in connivance with concerned officials of Food and Civil Supply Department and the gas dealers and the delivery boys. The concerned officials have gone blind to the daylight “robbery” which is being perpetrated in large scale. The victims are naturally the genuine domestic consumers who have to wait for days together to receive the red stuff.
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Nagpur News
The catchy slogan “LPG Cylinder Delivery Within 48 Hours” coined by petroleum companies is being torn apart, mercilessly. Forget 48 Hours, LPG cylinder is not being delivered even after 480 Hours (more than 20 days). The reason: Rampant use of domestic LPG cylinder by hotels, restaurants, messes, canteens, roadside eateries and others. The law prohibits use of domestic LPG cylinders for commercial purposes but the same law is being mocked at obviously in connivance with concerned officials of Food and Civil Supply Department and the gas dealers and the delivery boys. The concerned officials have gone blind to the daylight “robbery” which is being perpetrated in large scale.
The factor that weighs heavily in the minds of the commercial establishments to go for grabbing the domestic LPG cylinders is the price line. The domestic cylinder costs at about Rs 450 while the cost of commercial cylinder stands between Rs 1000 and Rs 1500. So the domestic cylinder invariably is a tempting and profiteering proposition. And the commercial establishments take the advantage of this lucrative proposition to the hilt. Domestic LPG cylinder is being used with impunity by hotels, dhabas, restaurants, launges, caterers, beer bars, and other roadside eateries and thus making the mockery of law. These commercial establishments are given license on the condition that domestic LPG cylinder would not be used in their business of profit. But the daylight “robbery” goes on mercilessly obviously in connivance with gas dealers, delivery boys and of course officials of Food and Civil Supply Department and petroleum companies. And the genuine consumers who believe in the slogan “LPG Cylinder Delivery Within 48 Hours” are left in the lurch as even after a period of more than 20 days the cylinder is not delivered to them.
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That the intensity of misuse of domestic LGP cylinder is so high-pitched can be gauged from the fact that the commercial establishments receive the red stuff within an hour whereas the genuine consumers wait for days together. These businessmen exhaust the domestic cylinder within 4-5 days and they need the cylinder to run the trade without a break. And thus they break the law and rob the consumers of their LPG cylinder at the behest of uncanny elements. What the genuine LPG consumers receive promptly is the rude reply from gas dealers. The replies like: “Your number is still pending,” “It will take a week,” “There is shortage.” These replies even after 20-25 days of booking. But the commercial establishments are spared of these insulting words. For obvious reasons.
The gas problem has now-a-days taken the shape of a monster. Every corner of Nagpur City is dotted with dozens of small-big eateries and the domestic LPG cylinders are finding their ways to these commercial establishments. The mushrooming of newer and newer areas in and around Nagpur and exodus of people from neighbouring states is adding more woes to the monstrous problem.
The genuine LPG consumers would find themselves in the lurch in the coming days too unless and until the authorities concerned open their eyes and arrest the malpractice being indulged in by the commercial establishments.
When Nagpur Today contacted the Food and Civil Supply Department for ascertaining the facts, the sources said that the practice is going on but not in large scale. “Our Inspectors do act against the offending commercial establishments using domestic LPG cylinders. Whenever the Inspectors find the domestic cylinder is being used by any hotelier or other such establishment they immediately seize the cylinder and take further action. But the practice is going on. The main culprits are the delivery boys who supply the domestic cylinders to commercial establishments at a premium,” the official said.
The officials of petroleum companies, however, denied such practice is being indulged in by commercial establishments in large scale. “The problem is there, no question of denying about it. But not in large scale. Even otherwise, we will initiate further steps and curb the practice with heavy hand,” said the officials.
