Consumers angry over gas supply delay

The domestic gas consumers in the district are peeved over the delay in supply of cylinders.

Consumer activists allege that the gas distributors in the region have imposed a 21-day waiting period from the date of booking for a refill cylinder without any mandate from the company-the Indian Oil Corporation.

Despite a specific order by regulatory authorities, the distributors are allegedly delaying supply, inciting consumers to agitate and even resort to physical assault as happened at Ichalkaranji in the district.

A distributor at Ichalkaranji B G Jadhav, who supplies cylinders to 10,000 consumers, had to face the wrath of consumers. Following the delay, some angry consumers marched to Jadhav's house and ransacked it after breaking open the lock. Jadhav was not at home at the time of the attack. The estimated loss is put at Rs 35,000. The police registered cases against 35 persons. The incident stands as a testimony to the growing discontent among gas consumers in the region over inordinate delays in supply of vital fuel.

There are 28 gas distributors in the district catering to the needs of over two lakh consumers.

Questioning the rationale behind the 21-day waiting period, which is causing a lot of hardship to the consumers, Vijay Devane, chief of the Gas Consumers' Organisation (GCO), demanded a written explanation from IOC under the Right to Information Act.

In its reply, the company has confirmed that there is no such rule although the period is calculated considering the normal consumption of gas by a family of five members. If the family has two cylinders, the second refill is given after 21 days.

However, if a family needs additional cylinder before the period due to excess consumption occasioned by any celebrations in the household, the second cylinder is provided on demand, according to Raju Gadakari, chief of the Kolhapur Gas

Distributors Association (KGDS). He contends that the 21-day restriction is being observed to avoid misuse of gas for non-domestic purposes. There are several instances of domestic gas being used to run auto-rickshaws.

Another GCO?s allegation is that the distributors ask consumers to bring empty cylinders and take refills on their own instead of the former delivering the door-step service.

In the face of several complaints, KGDS is expected to streamline the distribution system to avoid inconvenience to the consumers.