IMPHAL, December 8: Principal Secretary Consumer and Affairs and Public Distribution MH Khan assured today that all LPG cylinder backlogs will be cleared by January 25, 2016 and customers will be provided regular monthly refills thereon.
This was said during a press meet following his meeting with IOC officials, LPG transporters and LPG distributers to improve the delivery frequencies in the State.
While acknowledging the abnormal LPG refill period which usually exceeds three months, he said all anomalies have been discussed threadbare with the stakeholders, and assured that services will improve by January 25, 2016.
On the campaign to link Aadhaar cards with the Consumer No. and bank accounts, other officials who was accompanying the Principal Secretary during the press meet clarified that the Supreme Court had in an earlier ruling directed that the Aadhar Card is ‘necessitated’ yet it remains voluntary, not mandatory for the customer to use it and hence other Identity Cards will suffice equally for the purpose.
In regard to the flourishing black market, the authorities informed that they will initiate a collective drive and develop monitoring mechanism to check such illegalities.
The Principal Secretary said, “The respective Deputy Commissioners are authorized under the new Essential Commodities Act to inspect and monitor such anomalies.”
“Hence, the first meeting with them will happen tomorrow and we are hopeful about amending such gap.”
He continued, in order to increase the refill frequency, several steps are initiated.
The present three old Tankers Loading-Unloading Bays will be dismantled and eight new TLD Bays will be constructed, he said.
Night loading-unloading facilities are already pursued and await the approval of the Petroleum Safety Organisation’s team inspection scheduled for December 11, he added.
Regarding the trucks ferrying only twice instead of four times in a month, the IOC, State Level coordinator, SI Singh assured better planning and coordination to avoid such chaos and increase the frequency of ferry.
The Principal Secretary also appealed to the civil societies, organisations and NGOs to abstain from imposing bandhs and blockades since the disruption on the supply chain ultimately leads to decrease in the LPG supply to the customers.
