Oil Companies-LPG Agencies Nexus Behind LPG Short Supply: Shobha
From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore
Bangalore, May 23:Karnataka’s Food and Civil Supplies Minister Shobha Karandlaje has blamed the nexus between Oil Companies and the LPG Agencies for causing the unnecessary and unjustified delays in supply of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders to consumers in the State.
Talking to reporters, Ms Karandlaje, who is also handling the Energy portfolio, admitted that consumers had been put to a lot of hardship owing to short supply of LPG cylinders in the State. The minister urged the Centre to restore normalcy in the supply of refilled LPG cylinders. The Centre should crackdown illegal nexus between oil companies and gas agencies to ensure adequate supply of filled cylinders to consumers on time, she demanded.
Ms Karandlaje said she would write to Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Jaipal Reddy to immediately arrange to supply adequate quantity of LPG cylinders to the State. Even as consumers booked 21 days in advance, delivery of refilled LPG cylinders took over a month.
The Union Minister should direct the companies to ensure supply of refills within two or three days of booking, she said.
There were about 24 lakh illegal connections in the State and many households obtained more than two LPG cylinders producing fake documents.
The Government would continue its efforts to check illegal LPG connections, she said. Noting that the power situation in the State was very grim, the minister said she would meet Union Power Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde in Delhi on Wednesday and seek immediate coal linkages to second unit of Bellary Thermal Power Station.
The plant needed 7.1 lakh tonnes of coal if it was to run to its optimum capacity, she said. Though the Centre has been urged to supply adequate quantity of coal by February 25, no allotment has been made to the Bellary power plant, she claimed.
Efforts were being made to ensure three phase power supply in rural areas for nine hours a day.
Currently, rural areas have been receiving three phase power for six hours a day. The Center has been urged to provide financial assistance of Rs 1500 crore to upgrade transformers in the State, Ms Karandlaje said.