The Hindu / M Raghuram

• They have to stand in long queue to get seal on ration coupons
• Exercise aimed at tackling misuse of domestic gas cylinders
• Customers should get registered before June 30

Mangalore, May 13: With consumers of cooking gas in Dakshina Kannada district having to get themselves registered again for cylinder refills, long queues in front of the Food and Civil Supply office, here, of people crowding to get coupons stamped by local Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) dealers have become a common sight in the city.

The consumers of LPG in the district are facing three types of hurdles in getting their refills. Firstly, they should be valid ration coupon holders. Secondly, they should get the "LPG seal" from the agency on their cards. Thirdly, if they do not have a ration coupon, they should apply for one and get it sealed by the agency before they enter into a 21-day waiting period for their refill. The Government, which released "coupons" in 2006 in place of the "ration cards", has taken up this exercise to prevent the use of domestic LPG cylinders for commercial purposes, illegal refilling, and the misuse of domestic gas cylinders.

Official sources at the district Food and Civil Supplies Department said that LPG domestic cylinders were being misused on a large scale in Mangalore in particular and Dakshina Kananda in general. This had prompted the administration to impose the 21-day waiting period and now the stamping of the ration coupon in a bid to put an end to the menace of the misuse of domestic cylinders, they said.

The consumers feel not only inconvenienced but also harassed. Usha Aithal in Urva had to stand in a queue with 45 people in front of her in order to get her coupon stamped at the agency. She felt that a simple task such as the identification of genuine consumers should not be so hard.

The representative of an oil company in charge of LPG sales said that consumers might have to wait till June 30 for a faster and hassle-free supply of refills, as the Government hoped to check instances of misuse of domestic cylinders by that time with the current exercise.

Instances of misuse of domestic LPG cylinders include their use in automobiles, for refilling of non-subsidised gas cylinders, and for any purpose other than cooking and heating water at homes.

The Food and Civil Supplies Department has assured the consumers that they will not be put to inconvenience if they have stamped ration coupons, and those who do not have them should procure them before June 30.