Consumers are complaining that the quantity of gas in LPG cylinders supplied by gas agencies is less than the amount it should contain. It is mandatory for the delivery boys to carry weighing equipment and weigh the cylinder before the customer but this is not being done. With the cap on subsidised cylinders driving up the demand for cheaper LPG, gas agencies and delivery boys are suspected of pilfering gas from legitimate domestic cylinders and transferring it to small cylinders which are then sold illegally.
The Supreme Court has directed that delivery boys must weigh the cylinder before the customer and the Union petroleum ministry has submitted an undertaking before the SC that it will ensure compliance of the court’s directive by oil marketing companies (OMC).
Many consumers are not aware of the rule and even those who are, fear further delays in getting refills if they send back an underweight cylinder, as cylinders are in short supply.
“Normally, it takes 45 days for us to finish one cylinder. But for the last two months, the cylinder has emptied within 30 days. We think the gas is being pilfered,” said Kiranmayee, a Barkatpura resident.
There is confusion even at the government level about which department is respo-nsible for ensuring implementation of the weighing rule, the civil supplies department or the department of legal metrology.