LPG dealership expansion gains pace

Opposition-ruled states not co-operating with online bidding, say sources

The plan by state-run oil marketing companies (OMCs) to expand its liquefied petroleum gas dealership has gathered momentum with the addition of 2,156 dealers in the past two months across 23 states.
 
The road map is to appoint 6,149 distributors across the country through an online selection process, which might see an investment of Rs 2,000 crore in the industry. However, sources said some opposition-ruled states such as West Bengal were not co-operating with the online bidding process despite several letters from the ministry of petroleum and natural gas and the OMCs — Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), Hindustan Petroleum