Most residents of gated communities and big apartment complexes are refusing piped cooking gas after the Oil Marketing Companies changed the category of their LPG connections from domestic to commercial.
Gas companies store LPG in big tanks in gated communities and apartment complexes and supply it to kitchens under the “reticulated piped LPG system”. Each house is fitted with a meter and based on the usage, monthly bills are collected. While the companies were charging the subsidised price (`401.50 for 14.2 kg) so far, consumers will now have to pay the non-subsidised price of nearly `970 for using the same amount due to the change in their connection category from domestic to commercial.
Many such consumers are now applying for individual gas connections to obtain six subsidised cylinders a year, while others are planning to move the AP High Court against exempting them from subsidised cylinders. “We opted for piped gas because it is convenient. We were spared the hassle of booking cylinders and waiting for delivery. If we have to pay non-subsidised rates of over `950, there is no point in continuing with this gas,” said Neha Kulkarni, a resident of Madhapur.
“There are only a few villas and flats that cost over Rs 1 crore in gated communities and big apartments. Most of them are available for prices ranging from Rs 30 lakh to Rs 70 lakh. Majority of the buyers are from middle and upper-middle classes who purchase them by taking home loans. Treating such buyers on par with a limited number of rich buyers who purchase property by investing crores is not correct. We will move the HC,” said B. Pradeep Kumar, a techie living in a gated community in Miyapur.