Deepa H. Ramakrishnan
With two gas agencies in and around Velachery shutting shop in the past few weeks, several consumers have been put to hardship. A couple of weeks ago, an agency that served Madipakkam-Ullagaram and Nanganallur areas was suspended by Indian Oil Corporation and its 25,000-odd consumers were shifted to other agencies.
However, many of those consumers are facing several problems. V. Mala, a resident of Nanganallur, who visited her new agency and got a fresh consumer number, is yet to get her refill that was booked on March 13. “I have only one cylinder and that got over 20 days ago. Now, my household is running on a borrowed cylinder that I promised to return in a week,” she said. Ms. Mala is also worried about the linking of her LPG ID with bank and Aadhaar card details under the Pahal scheme.
Similarly, M. Kumar, a resident of Ullagaram-Puzhudhivakkam, said he had been shifted to another agency but was yet to get his new consumer number.
A few days ago, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd had shifted 6,000 consumers attached to Rajarajeshwari Gas Agencies to three other agencies as the distributor resigned.
Activist T. Sadagopan said that it was not fair that consumers were being put to trouble over administrative problems of oil companies. “The only job oil firms have as far as LPG is concerned is to deliver cylinders and if they don’t do it properly, it is a clear failure of service,” he said.
IOC sources said that an officer has been appointed exclusively to look into such issues.