TNN | Feb 12, 2015, 12.05AM IST
Pune: Only 73% LPG consumers in the district have registered under the Modified Direct Benefit Transfer of LPG (MDBTL) scheme so far. The scheme was launched in the district on January 1 and the grace period ends on March 31. Oil marketing companies (OMCs) have to complete at least 80% registrations by February 15, a deadline set by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas. Company officials, however, are not optimistic about meeting the target. Distributors, meanwhile, have started refusing refill orders of customers who have not become cash transfer compliant — a condition for receiving subsidies directly into bank accounts. Oil company officials complained that consumers are still dragging their feet when it comes to registration. Till February 9, about 71% customers of Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited, 76% customers of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd and 69% customers of the Indian Oil Corporation Ltd across Pune district had become cash transfer compliant. The average compliance is 73%. A city-based distributor said that oil marketing companies are aiming to make at least 80% customers cash transfer compliant by February 15 and take it to 85% till February 23, just ahead of the budget. "We have even started rejecting LPG refills to customers not ready to enroll under the scheme. But the customers' response is still poor," the distributor said, adding that he gets close to 150 requests for registration per day which is miniscule. Meanwhile, a district-level implementation committee has been formed with the Pune district collector as its head. The committee has been entrusted with the task of monitoring the progress of the scheme. The collector spearheads weekly meetings with all key stakeholders namely Unique Identification Authority of India, oil marketing companies' officials, key distributors, among others to review the status of Aadhaar linking in LPG and bank database and associated activities.