LPG situation grim despite IOC steps

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The LPG crisis did not ease on Saturday despite the IOC diverting supplies to the city from its Chennai facility. Several agencies of IOC saw long queues of consumers carrying empty cylinders for a refill.

Ernakulam district collector, P.I. Sheikh Pareeth, reiterated that the LPG shortage in the district would be resolved in a week, explaining that a bullet tanker carrying 20 loads of LPG had arrived at the Udayamperoor bottling facility of IOC Friday night. “The bottling plant will function on Sunday as well to meet the shortage,” he assured.

Advising consumers against badgering gas agencies for their LPG supplies, he suggested they direct their complaints instead to the control room at the collectorate on the numbers, 0484-2423513 and 2427433.

Mr Pareeth warned that the police had been asked to take strong action against those creating law and order problems outside gas agencies.

The IOC, which supplied 9,562 cylinders on October 1, 13,473 cylinders on October 3, 15,035 cylinders on October 4 and 16,761 cylinders on October 5 has promised to increase the number to 54, 831 soon, according to him.

IOC sources told the Deccan Chronicle that talks were on with HPCL in Mumbai to restore supply to its Kerala plants using bullet tankers from the company's facility in Mangalore “The bullet tanker owners are not in favour of the stipulation that each vehicle should have a driver and a cleaner as this will eat into their profits.

We have to sort out this issue to restore supply from Mangalore,” said an IOC officer, explaining that gas agencies with a relatively high customer base were struggling to supply the cylinders as they did not have enough delivery boys to meet the demand.

“ IOC plans to keep supplying from Chennai and also Coimbatore, if needed, till the problem is sorted out and we hope things will return to normal in a month," he added.