BENGALURU: For many consumers in the city, gas subsidies have become a thing of the past. While a few allege that they have not received subsidies for more than a year, others complain that subsidies have not been transferred to their accounts in the past few months. Meanwhile, customers seeking clarification on the issue are being made to run from the bank to the gas agency and vice-versa, with no respite.
Representatives of oil companies have confirmed that there have been several complaints in connection with the issue and say that they are being addressed on a case-by-case basis, adding that most of the cases were associated with Aadhaar-linkage issues. Some accounts, it seems, have been de-linked from the National Payment Corporation of India database without the knowledge of the beneficiaries.
Case studies
Asgar Nawaz, an auto-driver and resident of RT Nagar in the city, complained that he has not received subsidies in more than a year. Speaking to The New Indian Express, he said that the LPG connection at home was in his wife’s name.
“Since they made Aadhaar and bank account compulsory to avail subsidies, we opened a bank account in her name. However, we received a subsidy only for the first month after linking our accounts. When I complained to the gas agency they asked me to go to the bank. When I went to the bank they said that the problem was at the LPG agency’s end. Now, I am forced to shell out close to `1,000 per cylinder and without any subsidy,” he complained.
Without any knowledge on how to tackle the issue, he said that he has lost hope of the subsidy being credited to his account. A similar complaint was raised by Rani Venkatraman of the Hebbal Resident Welfare Association. “After buying a cylinder, the subsidy amount is expected to be credited within 15-20 days to the beneficiaries bank account — which is Aadhaar-linked to the LPG account. However, subsidies are not being credited to our accounts,” she said.
According to her, many of her friends and acquaintances were not receiving subsidies either. “Our maid earns `7,000 per month and the subsidy amount of `400-500 is a big amount for her. She faces the same problem too,” Rani said.
Ravi Prakash, an HR professional and a resident of Vijayanagara complained of the same problem. “I thought that the problem was unique to me. However, it appears that many other consumers are facing the same problem. When I asked our distributor he said that it was a software issue and will be resolved soon,” he said.
Kunal Jain from Indiranagar Second Stage faces the same problem as Asgar. Though his discontinuation of subsidies was more recent, he too had to run from the bank to the agency and vice versa. “Such complications pose a problem for us as we are denied subsidies through no fault of our own. Despite following the process, the distributor keeps saying that the amount will be refunded to our accounts and that it might take time. But how long should we wait?” he said.
Reactions
Representatives of All India LPG Distributors Federation, under the condition of anonymity, noted that the problem was associated with the software that facilitates the transfer. “As soon as we deliver an LPG cylinder, the details of the beneficiary are entered into the software. This software, in turn, communicates with the National Payment Corporation of India servers from where subsidies are transferred to the Aadhaar-linked beneficiary account. Due to some glitches in this system, we have been receiving a lot of complaints from customers. While banks and oil companies are largely insulated from the consumers’ outrage, we are forced to suffer the brunt of it,” the member said.
When contacted, Vinod Akkal, Deputy General Manager, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited said that oil companies too were receiving complaints on the issue. He said that it would be a challenge to pay subsidies back to beneficiaries who have not received it for more than one year or so. Noorana, Deputy General Manager (Corp Communication), Indian Oil Corporation, in an e-mail reply said, “.... due to the presence of various stakeholders involved in the cash transfer process besides IOCL viz NPCI, banks and their branches, the possibility of delay in the transfer of subsidies beyond three days cannot be ruled out in some cases.”
More trouble in store
If you are a consumer whose LPG subsidies have not been credited to your bank account, then there is more trouble in store. According to sources, a recent circular to all LPG distributors said that consumers who are not receiving subsidies will be blocked permanently by considering them as persons able to buy the un-subsidised cylinder. The circular was issued recently with a list of consumers who can be blocked by the distributors.
According to Vinod Akkal, Deputy General Manager, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited, the list was of ‘non-customer transfer compliant’ consumers. “These consumers have issues with the KYC documents that they have submitted. If they do not submit the documents and link their accounts, they will not receive subsidies,” he said. In case consumers do not receive subsidies they can complain to the LPG distributors and have their issues sorted, he added.